Spain won the EURO 2008 Championship, and I am glad it did.

First of all, Italy went out at PKs against the eventual champs who scored against every opponent they faced and had only 2 goals against, giving the Azzurri a little vindication.

Mostly though, I am glad that Spain won because the country has always produced great soccer players, great club teams, and their Liga is one of the top three domestic championships in Europe.

Over the years, Spain had failed to reach any hardware and even though its various teams mostly played good soccer and competed well, they always choked at the very end. Other nations, including Italy, have had their share of good and bad luck, but Spain seemed to always find the negative outcome of things.

I am also glad that Germany has not won because it didn't deserve it. Germany has won lots of trophies in its history, some just a product of pure luck, associated with lots of resilience, typical of the German tradition, but without deserving the wins and without a good team (1990 World Cup and 1996 Euro come to mind). Something that Spain had many times, without ever becoming winning teams.

So, I am happy for Casillas (one of the two best keepers in the world, the other being Buffon, of course!), Torres, who at 21 is just so dramatically impressive that I don't know who may be able to stop him, Puyol, the veteran who had seen so many games go bad, Sergio Ramos, one of the best attacking defenders in the world, and my personal favorite, Fabregas, who at 22 has so much talent, charisma, and personality to stay on top of the soccer world for another decade.

Well, Spain, congratulations. A victory well deserved and not just for this season, but for the decades of great soccer players and teams that I, and other fans, have enjoyed!

VIVA ESPANA!