Although England’s senior men’s team have never faced Spain in a tournament final, the two nations do have plenty of history when it comes to competing for silverware.
That’s because the two nations have faced off in three youth finals over the past 40 years with the Young Lions getting the better of their Spanish counterparts on all three occasions.
And for any England fans looking for yet more positive omens, five players of Gareth Southgate’s squad in Germany played in one of these wins. FourFourTwo has taken a look back all three previous finals.
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U21s, 1984 – England 3-0 Spain (over two legs, 1-0 & 2-0)
Mark Hateley enjoyed a successful career (Image credit: Getty Images)
The fourth-ever edition of the European U21s Championship consisted of a two-year qualification competition before the knockouts commenced at the quarter-final stage. From then on, it was two-legged home and away ties up to and including the final.
England began this phase with a bang, cruising past France 7-1 on aggregate before a 3-2 win over Italy sealed a spot against the Spanish, who overcame Poland and Yugoslavia.
England, managed by Dave Sexton, saw off Spain 1-0 in Sevilla in the first leg, thanks to a Mel Sterland goal. It was then back to Bramall Lane for the second leg, where goals from Mark Hateley and Howard Gayle wrapped up a 3-0 aggregate victory.
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Hateley’s goal was the sixth of the competition as he won the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament honours and he would go on to win 32 senior Three Lions caps. Gary Mabbutt, Dave Watson, Gary Stevens, Steve Hodge, Mark Chamberlain and Danny Wallace are the other eye-catching names in that squad.
U17s, 2017 – England 5-2 Spain
Phil Foden in action at Euro 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Coach Steve Cooper masterminded a thrilling victory in the Under-17 World Cup in India in 2017, as England came from two goals down to seal a 5-2 victory.
Sergio Gomez had put Spain in control by scoring a brace in the first half hour, but a Rhian Brewster strike before half-time sparked a comeback. Morgan Gibbs-White levelled the match, with a Phil Foden brace and Marc Guehi goal sealing the silverware.
Foden was named as the tournament’s best player and is one of three players from that side who are in the Euro 2024 squad, alongside Guehi and Conor Gallagher. Ferran Torres is the only Spain player in their squad for Sunday’s final in Berlin.
U21s, 2023 – England 1-0 Spain
Cole Palmer featured in the 2023 U21s Euro win (Image credit: Getty Images)
England’s most recent tournament success saw them beat Spain 1-0 in Georgia as they landed their first European U21s crown since the 1984 victory.
This final featured a number of the same players from the U17s clash in 2017, with Sergio Gomez again Spain’s main threat, after scoring three times in the tournament, while Morgan Gibbs-White and Emile Smith Rowe featured in both clashes.
The final was a tense affair with Liverpool’s Curtis Jones the match-winner when he scored the only goal of the game in first-half stoppage time.
Alex Baena is the only Spain player from that squad to make it to Euro 2024, while England duo Cole Palmer and player of the tournament Anthony Gordon have both made the step up to the senior squad 12 months on.
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