CHENNAI: On Wednesday, the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium will witness a slice of history. The junior men's World Cup final will feature the Spanish team for the first time in the competition's 46-year-old history. For a country that's hockey royalty — the senior team has medalled at the Olympics and the senior World Cup — it's the one thing missing in their rich trophy cabinet.
It's kind of why this Spain team is already being hailed 'as one of the best young groups of all time'. But there's no secret to what has fuelled this side's rise to the top table among juniors. If anything, they have just been more Spain than Spain has ever been before.
Multiple captains — one on the field and one off it — 15 players from the Terrassa, the small hockey-loving city in Catlonia and a feeling of the side being 'a part of very big family' have all contributed to a sense of achievement over the last two weeks in Chennai and Madurai. "We like the ball," Oriol Torras, the Spanish coach, says. "We like possession." In that way, the hockey system is very much like football. Even if the sport, like football, has increasingly become more physical, more athletic, Spanish hockey teams have tended to produce diminutive midfielders who score very highly on technical skills. It's a point Torras mentions to select mediapersons during an interaction at their team hotel on Monday, two days out from the final against Germany.
"Modern hockey is more physical. Hockey players are now athletes. They are athletes and then hockey players. But, for me, the ball is the most important. We train (keeping this in mind."
It's why the final promises to be a clash of contrasts. Germany are a highly technical team but like they showed against India, they can be a very intense physical team with their running power down both flanks. Some of their players also have imposing frames so they will look to put pressure. Spain, though, will look to suffocate their opponents with the ball.
Torras, who also works as one of the assistant coaches to Max Caldas in the senior set-up, is quick to point out that, in terms of physicality, they may not be strong 'we have very technical players, so we can use this on the pitch'.
That's just one aspect of what makes Spain such a unique team at the World Cup in 2025. There's of course the well-known Terrassa factor. The city is basically Spain's hockey equivalent of Shivaji Park in Mumbai. The place, a 20-minute car ride from Barcelona, has produced over 125 hockey Olympians.
First, a history about the place. There was a cultural exchange between English and Catalan families. When a few kids went to England to deal in textiles, they brought back a couple of hockey sticks. That love affair continues even today. "In this squad, we have 15 players from Catalonia," Torras says. "It's common to see young kids have sticks with them even when walking on the streets or in the nearby parks." This phenomenon has historically helped Spain have multiple joint practice sessions on a weekly basis. So there's already an understanding and chemistry.
When Torras is asked what makes this side special, he says: "It's a very good team outside the pitch because there's a nice blend of youth and experience." It's something that's referenced by captain Guiu Corominas as well.
But Torras, Caldas & Co. also recognise the need to have a long-term vision. Everything is done in keeping in mind the senior set-up to ensure all age-group teams 'have the same identity and structure'. Torras concedes that Germany, who will be featuring in their 10th junior World Cup final, are marginal favourites but he predicts that the match could go the distance. "The key will be to manage the emotions."
The final promises to be a game of contrasts. Will Chennai witness more history in the form of a Spanish win or will Germany win the crown for an unbelievable eighth time in 10 attempts?
