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Cape Town - Arsenal left-back Nacho Monreal believes Spain’s success is down to the hard work the players put in at youth level.
Between 2008 and 2013, Spain won two European Championships and a World Cup, and were named Fifa Team of the Year for six years running.
Monreal has been involved in Vicente del Bosque’s squad throughout this era of dominance and believes that a strong youth infrastructure is behind his country’s success.
“The team is full of talent but not just in my position,” he told Arsenal Player.
“Every position in the Spain side is very well-covered because the current generation has been incredible - it has won the European Championship twice and the World Cup too.
“It has been a great experience - both watching it on television and when I was involved in the squad, sharing a dressing room with those players. It's been fantastic. I think it's one of the best teams Spain has ever produced.
“The majority of those players had been playing together right through from the youth teams - the under-19 side, the under-21s - and after a few years together in the senior team it all began to bear fruit.
“The work that's being done in the younger categories is very impressive. The kids are being taught well and learning fast and that's why so many young players are emerging. If you do good work with the youth teams, you'll reap the rewards later on.
“Casillas, Xavi, Puyol, Iniesta, David Villa and Fernando Torres were unique players. As well as that, the group coincided with two great coaches in Luis Aragones and Vicente del Bosque, who made a massive contribution too. Everything came together for us to become a top side - we were the best team for several years.
“We're in a period of transition now where we're focusing on young players - they're very talented players but obviously need to gain international experience.
"There are currently a few teams that are ahead of Spain on a collective level - not in terms of the individual players but as a group - but as these players gain experience and build a strong group, I think they have a chance to dominate in the future.”
