Spain has fantastic technique and ability and a complete mastery of the ball. They thoroughly deserved to win. There were flashes from Holland, Portugal and Croatia but Spain have been absolutely fantastic. I'm delighted for Aragones. He has taken a lot of criticism in the last few years but has come back. In the qualifying rounds they lost to Northern Ireland at Windsor Park and he was under severe pressure but fought his way back.
There have been a number of stories in the tournament, including Turkey and our hearts go out to them. But Spain have been the team that deserved everything to come their way. The Germans had a little spell where you thought they might just get into the game. Michael Ballack will be disappointed, he missed out on the final at the World Cup in 2006 and perhaps he was not fit, but he was their one world class player in an average side. You need more than that. I think only Diego Maradona is the only player ever to win a major tournament on his own. Ballack just did not have the calibre of players he needed around him.
Spain have been magnificent. I always felt they were big underachievers for years. They have come up with a talented team with question marks but answered all of them. From the manager to the substitutes to the players - everyone has come up trumps. Tactically they got it spot on. The substitutions were really big decisions he had to make and he got every single one right. I thought after the World Cup in 2006 it might get a bit negative in the later stages, but I have been pleasantly surprised. We have had the odd diabolical game but overall it is been terrific and been won by Spain. What a journey for them.
Player of tournament: Two years ago many thought Marcos Senna's legs had gone but as they have progressed he has taken a major role in proceedings.
So, the most gifted and complete team finally won Euro 2008 - and for that I am truly thankful. I thought at one stage it might be the Dutch before I briefly flirted with the idea that Russia may well exceed expectations. But ultimately there can be no arguing with Spain's status as worthy champions. It could have been so different had Miroslav Klose capitalised on Sergio Ramos's awful pass to Carles Puyol after just three minutes but destiny ensured victory was with the deserved.
In defeating Germany here at the Ernst Happel Stadium on this balmy June evening, Spain not only ended 44 years of international failure and frustration but delivered a gift rich in significance to those who subscribe to a brand of football that truly is the beautiful game. Spain may have encountered physically superior opponents in Germany but their ability to retain possession, utilise space and undermine their opponents with a defence-splitting pass was evident for all to see.
Many had questioned whether the Spanish would suffer a serious bout of stage fright. Many predicted a Germany win despite accepting that Spain were the more talented team. For the opening 10 minutes of the final, it looked as though those fears might prove true as Joachim Loew's team started impressively while Spain, coached by the wily Luis Aragones, played too many uncharacterised long and errant passes.
Once the latter found their rhythm, though, it was clear they were the superior team. Had they scored more goals, it would not have been an unfair reflection on the game. Xavi Hernandez was superb, playing a number of piercing passes that exposed the frailties of the German central defensive pairing of Per Mertesacker and Christoph Metzelder. Germany rattled Spain at times - witness David Silva's idiotic and unpunished headbutt on Lukas Podolski - but Loew's side lacked the fluency and guile of their opponents. That German striker Kevin Kuranyi was making tackles yards from his own goalline with seconds remaining underlined the ease with which Spain closed out the final.
Marcos Senna, the Brazilian-born defensive shield, has been superb for Spain throughout Euro 2008, allowing those in front of him to express themselves while protecting the defence behind him. It would be no huge surprise if he was named as the player of the tournament. Spain scored 12 goals and conceded just three to claim the Henry Delaunay Trophy, making a mockery of the press that so hounded Aragones after he omitted Raul from his squad.
The final was Aragones's last match in charge of Spain, and the victory is vindication of his single-minded approach, his stubborn insistence on doing things his way. The 69-year-old's relationship with his domestic media has often been testy, and he could have been excused a wry smile as he faced the Spanish press after the final to the sight of many of them wearing his team's colours. Furthermore, he has made it clear he feels the Spanish Football Federation did not do enough to persuade him to stay in the months preceding the tournament, a decision that now looks short-sighted.
Yet, most importantly, his players respected him and had a firm belief in his methods, many revealing he was a different person away from the glare of the media, happy to joke and make everyone feel at ease. Match-winner Torres declared after the final that Aragones was a "12th man" for the team and an inspirational force. Aragones warned his team on the eve of the game that nobody would remember the losers. They obviously listened.
The watershed match for many was Spain's quarter-final victory over Italy on penalties, a win that led to an upsurge in self-belief among their supporters both here and back home. Spain have often been regarded as a team that lacked unity, with strong regional differences undermining their cause. In this regard, Euro 2008 could prove to be a symbolic as well a purely footballing victory. The idea that it is OK to be Spanish as well as, say, Catalan. Time will tell if that feeling lasts, but there is no doubt Spain are worthy winners of Euro 2008.