Mikel Oyarzabal will remain a Spain and Royal Society legend long after the end of his career.
The Basque striker ended Spain's 12-year wait for a major title when they beat England 2-1 in the final in Munich.
Luis de la Fuente chose to launch him as a second-half substitute for the captain Alvaro Morata with Spain leading 1-0.
Cole Palmer's late goal looked to have sent the game into extra time before Oyarzabal's decisive strike with four minutes to go.
The experienced striker showed great desire to run past two England defenders, and admitted there was an agonizing pause about the moment being ruined by VAR.
“I see that Cucu (Marc Cucurella) is on the run and that the ball will come to him. That's when I start to move,” he said in an interview with The Guardian.
“When the ball goes in, I think, 'Come on, take a touch.' When it goes in, I don't know if I'm offside. I look at the linesman and he starts running.
“There's a wait. I ask the referee: 'Everything okay, does it count?' And eventually he says: 'Yes.'
Oyarzabal's frank omission shows the full spectrum of emotions going through his head as Spain eventually crossed the line for glory.
It is by far the most important goal of Oyarzabal's career and his international stint shows no sign of ending before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
