Spanish players line up prior to the Euro final against Germany at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria on Sunday. (EPA)

There has been a lot of discussion about whether in Spain, but above all in Germany, the truly strongest teams made it to the final of the Euro 2008.

In any case, these were two teams who were committed to an attacking style of football, who did not simply sit back and hope for some good luck up front, the way Greece did four years ago when it used this tactic to win the title.

At the start of the tournament I had said that Spain is finally due again. And though I am German myself, the way Spain played in the final truly thrilled me. The Spaniards were more than deserving of the title on this evening, as if they had created a painting like Picasso in his day.

It was a magnificent idea of Spain to naturalise the Brazilian player Senna. I have not seen a better man playing ahead of the defence in a long time. And the magic that Xavi Hernandez shows out on the right wing, and the way all of Spain’s midfielders were so technically certain on the ball — this is football of the very highest level.

Euro 2008 possibly had better teams for a few brief moments. Naming two of them: Holland and Russia. Both these teams played with such pace, with such complicated combinations, that one is justified in speaking of dream football. But players like Ruud van Nistelroy, Wesley Snijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Robin van Persie, against Russia, had to realise that their dream of playing dream football would remain unfulfilled. And Russia had the same experience against Spain in the semi-finals, as the star of Andrei Arshavin suddenly burned out. 

The new European champions Spain, on the other hand, knew that for all their speed and one-touch football, they also had to know when to slow down the pace so that the team wouldn’t get too tired.

Portugal also came close to showing some dream football. But their tactics were more calculable than those of Spain, whose players, in switching positions, could always confuse their opponents.

It really is true luxury when you can have a player like Cesc Fabregas as your 12th man, even though the Catalan youngster from Arsenal London is just 21 years old.

As a friend of aesthetic football, I loved most his sensational pass, a combination of a lob and deep pass, straight into the running path of striker Daniel Guiza, who then looped the ball over the head of the keeper.

That goal making it 2-0 against Russia will be a constant source of pleasure when I look back on Euro 2008. For me, that was the high point of the tournament.

I will also think positively about the atmosphere created by the thousands of football fans in both host countries, Austria and Switzerland. And what a huge outpouring of people there was in Russia and Turkey when their teams won some sensational matches. And all of Germany was, despite the Turks’ semi-final loss, a sea of red Turkish flags mixed with the black-red-gold flags of Germany.

Even the Austrians, after their 0-1 loss against Germany, behaved like winners when they celebrated their only point which came thanks to a penalty shot awarded in the last minute against Poland.

All of this happened despite the rain, the gloomy weather and the occasional thunderstorm. But the bad weather was not able to disrupt the celebrations bringing the nations together after a match.

Like the one outside the St Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna when the German fans celebrated together with the victorious Spaniards after the final.

And some Austrians draped in the Spanish flag — happy that the Germans were not the tournament winners. In such cases, the old rivalries break through. But football also thrives on these, too.