- 1996-1998 Shorts Away
- Squad Players: Kiko, Luis Enrique, Fernando Hiero.
- Brand: Adidas
- Sponsor: -
Spain cruised through the qualification phase for the European Championship, securing dominant victories over their rivals early on: 3-0 at home against Denmark and 4-1 away against Belgium. Although they faced two draws in the return fixtures, Spain's campaign was otherwise flawless.
For the European Championship in England, coach Clemente once again favored a conservative team with a Basque influence, overlooking talents like Raúl. In their initial matches against Bulgaria and France, Spain only began to attack after falling behind, resulting in two 1-1 draws. They needed a victory against Romania in the final group game to advance to the quarter-finals, and Guillermo Amor delivered the winning goal just before the final whistle.
In the quarter-finals, Spain faced unfortunate refereeing decisions. A goal by Salinas was wrongly ruled offside, and a penalty claim for a foul on Alfonso in the penalty area was dismissed. The referee also incorrectly flagged several offside instances against Spain, significantly impacting the flow of the game. Ultimately, in the decisive penalty shootout, England goalkeeper David Seaman saved a penalty from Nadal, leading to Spain's unjust elimination from the tournament.
