'World Cup Fans' is a special SBS News series running in the lead up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. It looks at the 32 qualifying countries through the eyes of their fans in Australia.
Spain is among the favourites to lift the World Cup trophy in Russia. But while the country looks solid on the paddock, off it, times are tough for many Spaniards.
The country is still recovering from an economic crisis and is dealing with an independence movement in one of its most productive football regions, Catalonia.
For Western Sydney Wanderers coach Josep Gombau, sport can be a cathartic escape from it all.
"The last years have been very difficult for us. There was a financial crisis and also corruption in politics, something the country is not proud [of]," he told SBS News.
"Sometimes the football brings people this happiness that you don't have in life because it has been a very difficult time for a lot of families with no money, no resources."
Wanderers Coach Josep Gombau Source: AAP
During the height of the Spanish recession in 2012, unemployment in Spain reached as high as 25 per cent. It's now down to around 16 per cent but is still the third-highest among OECD countries.
As Gombau says, football can bring the people happiness. But no-one could have guessed just how much happiness until the Spanish football team embarked on a revolution that changed the way the world played football and delivered the country a World Cup trophy and two European championships between 2008 and 2012.
Gombau says the nation issues a collective smile every time the national team - known as La Furia Roja - wins. He says it also puts a premium on Spanish footballers and coaches like him around the world.
"I think that Spanish football in the moment is on top of the world and everybody speaks about Spanish football," he said.
"This is something that has benefitted us as coaches working outside our country, because it's like a brand. People say, 'if it's Spanish we'll bring this tiki-taka football, this brand of football' and this provides us credibility."
After years coaching youth teams with Spanish giant Barcelona, Gombau travelled to Australia in 2013 to join as head coach of A-League team Adelaide United.
Prior to his arrival, there'd been just one Spanish player in the Australian league. But Gombau would herald a wave of Spaniards joining A-League teams, where 25 have now played in the last five years.
Among them is Oriol Riera, once a regular in the Spanish football league, known as La Liga. He now plays under Gombau at the Wanderers after looking to cash in on the good reputation of Spanish players abroad.
"After this, Spanish footballers had a lot of options to go all over the world. Yes we had very economic problems and this was like - we are here, we have problems - but we are the best," Riera says.
Western Sydney Wanderers striker Oriol Riera celebrates after scoring Source: Getty Images
Now, eight years after Spain's maiden World Cup triumph, the country heads into the next global showpiece again among the favourites.
But with the tournament on the horizon, tensions around Catalonia's referendum to break away from Spain have spilt onto the pitch.
The country's national football league has warned one of its crown jewels, Catalonia's FC Barcelona, could be expelled if the region secedes. The club's Camp Nou stadium has become a cauldron of separatist fervour.
Independence supporters accuse Madrid of acting in an increasingly authoritarian manner since Catalonia's parliament unilaterally declared independence from Spain in October.
Pro-independence supporters hold a Catalan flag at the Camp Nou Source: Reuters
Gombau, himself a Catalan, has called for mediation between the central government in Madrid and the Catalan leadership.
"You can look at this two ways. One thing is sports, the other is politics. It has been a very difficult time for Catalan people because at the end there are a lot of people in jail who didn't do anything wrong. They tried to make a referendum and make the population express themselves by a (vote)."
To this backdrop, Spain heads to the World Cup in Russia.
As the team gears up to face Portugal, Morocco and Iran in the group stages, there are calls for unity.
"A lot of Catalan players are playing in the Spanish national team. One thing is political and another thing is football and football needs to be on top of this."
If recent results like the 6-1 drubbing of Argentina are anything to go by, Spaniards will have plenty to cheer for come July.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup begins 15 June. SBS will broadcast the biggest games, including the opening match, semi-finals and final, live, free and in HD.
