ABSTRACT
The debates in Spain over the rapidly evolving nature of 'Spanishness' are as vibrant today as they have been at any time during the post-Franco period, and Spanish football writing in the 'quality' daily press reflects some of these complexities. While the following chapter will focus on the ways in which different nations and regions within Spain are portrayed, this chapter explores the key features of notions of Spanish identity as mediated (and, we would argue, constructed) by football writing. The way in which the football press copes with defining and constructing such a nation, particularly during European Championships and World Cup tournaments, offers a perceptive insight into the Spanish psyche which can be fully appreciated only when taking into consideration developments in Spain's recent political history. To what extent is the reality of Spain as a single, indivisible unit acknowledged?
