A decade or so ago, when ‘tiki taka’ was very much in vogue, the Spanish national team had a distinctly Barcelona flavour to it.
Indeed, La Roja danced to a blaugrana beat during what was, to date, their golden period.
Barca players were such a dominant presence under Vicente Del Bosque’s stewardship, that it was difficult to imagine a future Spain side that didn’t mirror the playing style of the Catalans.
With football squads both at club and international level seemingly working in cycles, it was only a matter of time before Barca would come to the fore on the world stage again, albeit with their players cloaked in the deep red of Spain.