Spain's success at the 2024 European Championship highlighted why their style of football remains a reference point for other nations worldwide.
La Roja blitzed their way through the tournament, playing with a panache that put the rigid systems adopted by England and other teams to shame.
For fans who enjoy La Liga betting, the national team's vibrancy was no surprise. Punters know that when they wager on La Liga games, the technical ability will be high.
By contrast, Declan Rice's failed attempt to dribble past opponents in Arsenal's victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday perfectly highlighted the deficiencies in many English players.
To understand why Spanish football is the benchmark for the rest of the world, it is prudent to look beyond the boundaries of the professional ranks.
A system geared to development
Spain's national federation overhauled their youth development programme in a bid to create a landscape where technical ability trumped everything else.
Their efforts paid dividends, as a 'golden generation' of players claimed consecutive European Championships in 2008 and 2012 either side of lifting the 2010 World Cup.
While La Liga clubs retained elements of their geographical identities, the core construct of Spanish football centred around possession and short passing at every level.
The set-up has continued to pay dividends, with Spain's stellar success at Euro 2024 highlighting their ability to pass teams to death in high-stakes matches.
England have tried to implement similar thinking across their academy system in recent years, but remain light years behind Spain in terms of technical ability.
Many coaches are guilty of favouring physicality over skill, which has resulted in England not producing enough players who are comfortable on the ball.
Rice is the poster boy for a player hyped beyond his ability. Signed by Arsenal as a game-changer, he has rarely shown the ability to live up to that lofty billing.
The former West Ham United player is one of the first-choice midfielders for England, but would be nowhere near the Spain squad if had he been born in Madrid.
Success driven by infrastructure
Insights from Spain's U15 national team head coach David Gordo on the FIFA Training Centre website further hammer home why they are so successful.
Gordo says Spain's football identity is built on a style of play which is implemented across all junior levels and suited to the players the country produces.
Developing technical, decision-making and football knowledge skills are central elements of the way Spain moulds young players into future superstars.
Unlike England, were strength and physicality are often prioritised over skill, Spain focuses on ensuring that every player is comfortable with the ball at their feet.
Gordo works tirelessly to develop intelligent players who can read in-game situations and anticipate where they need to position themselves on the pitch.
Spanish teams look to regain possession as swiftly as possible, before using their embedded passing skills to create chances in attacking areas.
That style was on show during Spain's Euro 2024 victory, where they harried England into mistakes and then left them chasing shadows when they had control of the ball.
Investment in coaches has also helped Spanish football become the gold standard. While Manchester City's Pep Guardiola grabs the headlines, there are many other Spanish coaches working worldwide.
Most English coaches do not venture out of their comfort zone, which ultimately results in the them failing to match Spanish counterparts who have developed a more diverse skillset.