Fabian eager to follow up World Cup triumph with Nations League success

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Fabian Ruiz has welcomed the challenge of “winning again” as Spain prepare for their Nations League opener against England on Saturday.

Spain’s clash with Thomas Tuchel’s side at Wembley Stadium will be their first since defeating Argentina in the World Cup final back in July.

It marked La Roja’s second triumph in the competition, while they now simultaneously hold the World Cup and the Euros, as they did from 2008 to 2012.

Spain are unbeaten in each of their last 38 matches in all competitions (W29 D9), the longest-ever streak by a European nation.

Despite their recent success, Fabian acknowledged how difficult it will be to continue winning trophies on the international stage.

“The manager has already told us that the past is forgotten; it’s history, and that’s wonderful, but now it’s time to focus on the present,” Fabian told AS.

— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) September 25, 2026

“The hardest thing in football is winning again. Winning once is great, but doing it again is the difficult part.

“That’s the challenge we have now: to want to win again, to keep winning. It’s very difficult, but this team has what it takes to do it, and we’re going for this title with a lot of enthusiasm; we also consider it very important.

“We hope to be in the final four [of the Nations League].”

Spain have reached the final in three of the last four Nations League tournaments, losing on penalties in the most recent in 2024-25; excluding penalties, La Roja have lost just one of their last 18 matches in the competition (W10 D7).

Luis de la Fuente’s side have also won six of their last nine meetings with England across all competitions (D1 L2), most recently winning 2-1 in the final of the 2024 European Championship.

Their last away game against the Three Lions also ended 2-1, at Wembley in the Nations League in September 2018.

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