Pedro Sanchez has heaped praise on the national football ahead of their World Cup final against Argentina in New York.

The Spanish prime minister lauded the team’s talent, humility and spirit ahead of tonight’s showdown, following what he described as ‘the World Cup of our lives’.

Writing in an opinion piece for El Pais on Sunday, Sanchez said Spain had transformed from a nation that once ‘played like never before and always lost’ into one that now ‘plays and wins like never before.’

‘We have learned how to win,’ he wrote. ‘Without giving up courage and commitment. But by making talent the foundation of success.’

The PSOE leader singled out the squad’s technical ability, solidarity and collective spirit, saying those qualities reflect the very best of Spain.

‘This is the national team that makes people fall in love,’ he said.

‘With the brave, attacking football that defines us, but also with the values that define our country.

‘A Spain that acts with humility and respect for its opponents.’

Sanchez also praised Spain’s women’s national team, which already boasts two World Cup stars on its shirt, and looked ahead to the 2030 World Cup, which Spain will co-host.

His column took on a nostalgic tone as he reflected on Spain’s historic triumph in South Africa in 2010, noting that many of today’s players were children when Andres Iniesta scored the winning goal against the Netherlands.

‘They say the World Cup of our lives is the one we experience as children, but with enough awareness to remember it forever,’ Sanchez wrote.

‘Since then, we spend every summer looking back on those unforgettable moments that can only be felt with the intensity of that age.’

He added: ‘Today, we all become 11 years old again.’

Spain face Argentina in New York on Sunday night as they bid to lift the World Cup trophy for the second time in their history.