PLAYER RATINGS SPAIN: De la Fuente’s masterclass and the substitutions that brought the title

How do you rate a man who had nothing to do the entire match? True, Unai Simon made two very good interventions, rushing out both times to stop Messi from driving toward the goal, and he reacted well in critical situations, so we will grade him based on that.

Marc Cucurella's performance in the grand final looked like an ECG reading. Jokes aside, the new Real Madrid player truly reacted well in certain situations, showcasing excellent dribbles and a couple of dangerous runs down his flank, while also putting in good defensive work on several occasions. However, he did have a few moments where he reacted poorly. All in all, a solid performance from Cucurella.

Much like rating Simon, we faced quite a challenge when it came to grading the Spanish team's center-backs. While he had nothing to do defensively, Laporte still delivered a perfectly decent performance, keeping his composure even in those very rare moments when the Argentines threatened on a few occasions.

Cubarsi was the slightly more active, and therefore better, half of the Spanish national team's center-back pairing. True, just like Laporte, he didn't struggle with his defensive duties either, but he was much more involved in building up the attack. On a few occasions, Cubarsi picked out his teammates brilliantly, and he even had a shot of his own about 15 minutes before the end of regular time.

Unlike his counterpart on the opposite flank, Cucurella, Pedro Porro was somewhat less involved in building up the attack, though to be fair, the majority of the attacks were directed down the side covered by Cucurella. Nevertheless, Porro remained composed throughout the entire match, and it is worth noting that he also misplaced very few passes while delivering a few solid balls in the opposition's half.

As one of the pillars of the Spanish midfield, Fabian Ruiz spent a surprisingly short amount of time on the pitch. He was solid from the start of the match, but a lack of attacking involvement is likely what prompted the manager to substitute him in the 62nd minute.

The conductor of this Spanish team. If there is a man who pulls all the strings on the pitch for La Furia, it’s Rodri. There was hardly an attack built by the Spaniards that didn’t go through Rodri’s feet first. The only minor critique one could have is that, in certain situations, he could have been more direct, driving the ball straight toward the opponent's goal. Regardless, he was comfortably the best player on the pitch

Alex Baena was perhaps the least noticeable player on the pitch. He had one chance at the start of the second half, but his attempt was not enough to pose any real danger. In the end, De la Fuente decided to substitute him, meaning Baena registered 75 minutes on the pitch in the final.

One of the surprising decisions by the Spanish national team manager was substituting Dani Olmo in the 75th minute. Up until then, the Barcelona player had put in a really solid performance, being perhaps the most active member of the Spanish national team in attack alongside Rodri

What Lamine Yamal has in his arsenal—both in terms of shooting and dribbling—is very well known. However, we saw none of that today. True, every now and then, we would catch a glimpse of a dribble here and there, but it was a far cry from what he usually does. Poor first touches, weak dribbling, and on one occasion, he even embarrassed himself with a shot.

One of the most underrated forwards not only in Spain but also further afield, he didn't exactly cover himself in glory in the World Cup final. True, even though Spain controlled the game nearly the entire time, Oyarzabal wasn't getting into good goalscoring positions. In the end, this prompted De la Fuente to take him off. Ultimately, regardless of this performance, what Oyarzabal brought to Spain throughout this tournament amounts to far more than just this one display.

Spain's hero—honestly, hardly anything more needs to be said when it comes to Ferran Torres's performance in this match. He came off the bench, his task was to threaten Argentina's goal, and he did exactly that. Even before the goal itself, he had a couple of good involvements and even a very good chance during regular time, but all of that is forgotten because of this—surely the most significant goal of his career.

A perfectly solid performance from Pedri after coming off the bench. He replaced Fabián Ruiz, and it could even be argued that he offered more than him in this match. Pedri was active, doing what he does best, and created a couple of significant chances for Spain.

Much like Ferran Torres, Nico Williams will claim his share of the glory for this Spanish goal, given that he was the provider who set up Torres. Even before the winning goal, Williams was one of the sharpest players on the pitch, and this assist ultimately served as the icing on the cake.

Much like Oyarzabal, Mikel Merino is a man who has given a lot to the Spaniards, but he didn't exactly cover himself in glory during his time on the pitch in this match. A couple of poor interventions, misplaced passes, and one solid attempt that ultimately went wide of the goal was all Merino provided in this game.

Not enough time on the pitch.

Not enough time on the pitch.

No, that isn't Kasparov—that's Luis de la Fuente. If you're a chess fan, you'll certainly know, and even if you aren't, you can see that Spain's head coach has done an admirable job, not just in this match, but throughout the entire tournament. Tactically flawless performances are precisely what brought Spain this long-awaited title. In this match, he chose not to rush, waiting patiently for the opponent's mistake. The ultimate stamp of approval on his phenomenal management is the fact that two of his substitutes were actually the key figures behind the winning goal—Nico Williams and Ferran Torres. A perfect ten from us.