On December 5th, Spain will commemorate twenty years since becoming futsal world champions. In 2004, during the fifth FIFA World Championship in Taiwan, Spain clinched the title by defeating Italy in the final. Four years after first dethroning Brazil’s dominance in Guatemala. To mark this anniversary, Vintage Connection on Teledeporte, hosted by Paco Grande, released a special episode titled “When We Were the Best.” Set to Loquillo and the Troglodytes’ song of the same name, the episode brings together coach Javier Lozano, his assistant Juan José Rodríguez Navia ‘Cancho,’ and former players Javi Rodríguez and Julio García Mera, with journalist Felipe Fernández. To look back on Spain’s two championship victories, which became defining moments in Spanish futsal. This nostalgic look comes amid one of the sport’s deepest crises in Spain, with recent World Cup eliminations in the quarterfinals and a recent Round of 16 exit to Venezuela.
Spain hasn’t claimed a World Cup in 20 years, hasn’t appeared in a final since 2012, and last secured a major title with the 2016 European Championship. With Jesús Velasco likely to be announced as the new coach, National Futsal League President Javier Lozano observed that “keeping memories alive is difficult these days.” Reflecting on Spain’s victory, Julio García Mera, part of Juanma Morales’ presidential campaign for the federation, noted. “Winning the first World Cup is surreal, and after the second, you’d best keep it humble.” They all agreed that the 1996 loss to Brazil before 16,000 fans at Palau Sant Jordi was the spark for Spain’s 2000 and 2004 titles. “It was a seed. Losing taught us we needed to prepare players emotionally, not just tactically,” Lozano recalled, adding, “We recognized the importance of emotional management after that defeat.”
generational shift
Cancho credited this era with a key generational shift, as new stars emerged to replace an older cycle of players. Spain’s first championship came on December 3, 2000, when they beat Brazil 4-3 in the Guatemala Dome. “We combined immense talent with tactical discipline—a tight zonal defense with a lot of freedom in attack. It was a balanced team,” Lozano explained. Key player Javi Rodríguez, who scored twice against Brazil, described the team’s unity, saying, “We were friends and family, all moving in the same direction.” Julio García added, “Lozano and Cancho saw something in us we couldn’t see in ourselves. That helped us surpass Brazil.”
Three key moments defined Spain’s first championship: the dismissal of captain Javier Lorente over a conflict of interest, the emergency recruitment of goalkeeper Ricardo after two other goalkeepers were injured, and the focused intensity before the final, as Lozano recalled, “Brazil was animated, but we kept calm, like tigers.” Four years later, Spain defeated Brazil in the 2004 semifinal via penalties and met Italy in the final, which Lozano described as a controlled match: “We felt like champions by then.” After that win, the Spanish team gained a reputation that Lozano believes must be restored today.
Two decades after the championship, Julio García Mera honored early pioneers like Joaquín Collado and Aurelio Gómez Araujo ‘Yeyo,’ emphasizing that today’s players should carry forward that legacy. Reflecting on the current state of futsal, Javi Rodríguez expressed disappointment at Spain’s decline from their former dominance. Cancho criticized the RFEF’s waning support for futsal and a coaching style that stifles talent, making the sport less engaging. Lozano echoed this sentiment, lamenting futsal’s current state: “We’re a divided sport; division is death, and when we fight each other, we all lose.”
