Spain is enjoying a moment of glory. Last night's triumphal homecoming of Euro 2008's conquering heroes revealed everything that is good about Spaniards today, their spontaneity, their gregarious sociability, their unbridled – sometimes excessive – lust for partying.
The squad overthrew an inferiority complex to become the beautiful killing
machine that entranced the world. "We tried to be German, we tried to
be Italian and it was all fake. We triumphed when we became true to
ourselves, a bunch of small blokes running around making art out of the game
we loved," said one veteran yesterday.
the flag. It has long been seen by many as an arrogant
statement of Madrid's supremacy over the regions, particularly the Basques
and the Catalans. Despite 30 years of democracy, and replacement of the
imperial eagle with a democratic coat of arms, that ripple of scarlet and
gold silk still carried a whiff of authoritarianism, of divisiveness
clipped from: www.independent.co.uk