The Euro 2024 finals will be held in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Spain and England will meet in the European Championship final on July 14, with much of the focus on a teenage wonderkid and whether one of the world’s most underachieving teams can end its decades-long wait for a title.

The match is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) in Berlin and is expected to be attended by Prince William, Spain’s King Felipe, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Keir Starmer, Britain’s new prime minister.

Also read: French referee François Letexier picked to handle Spain-England final of Euro 2024

Spain is bidding to win the Euros for a record fourth time, breaking a tie with Germany/West Germany, and for the first time since 2012. The team’s new superstar is winger Lamine Yamal, a prodigy who turned 17 on July 13.

England, who lays claim to be the birthplace of football, hasn’t won a major title since the 1966 World Cup and is looking to win the tournament this time. This is the team’s second straight European Championship final, having lost in a penalty shootout in the final to Italy three years ago.

The teams have taken different paths to the final, which will take place at Berlin’s Olympiastadion — the 71,000-seat venue built for the 1936 Olympic Games and which hosted the 2006 World Cup final that featured Zinedine Zidane’s infamous headbutt.

Spain has won all six of its matches and is widely regarded as the best team at Euro 2024, having seen off Germany and France in the knockout stage. England was unimpressive in the group stage and has shown resilience in coming from behind in all three of its knockout-stage games.

England’s Ollie Watkins celebrates at the end of a semifinal against the Netherlands at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Ollie Watkins is, in his own words, a realist.

He has never pictured himself playing at a major tournament for England — especially when, as a teenager learning his trade as a striker, he was sent on loan to English sixth-tier club Weston-super-Mare in 2015.

So imagine what went through Watkins’ mind when he saw his stoppage-time shot fly past Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and into the bottom corner to earn England a place in the European Championship final?

“I don’t think I’ve hit a ball that sweet before,” Watkins said after England’s 2-1 victory over the Dutch in the semifinals on July 10.

Suddenly, Watkins is the toast of England, an improbable turnaround in fortunes for a striker who had played 24 minutes at Euro 2024 — as a substitute in the group stage against Denmark — before replacing captain Harry Kane in the 80th minute for the biggest moment of his career.

Being an understudy for Kane, England’s all-time leading scorer with 66 goals, is a tough business. Minutes are scarce — Kane typically plays the full game — so every opportunity has to be grasped.

Watkins did just that with a goal that fans of the Premier League have seen time and again in his games playing for Aston Villa.

Darting behind the Dutch defense in a manner that is beyond Kane these days, Watkins controlled a pass from Cole Palmer with his back to goal then, in one movement, swiveled and fired a low shot through the legs of Netherlands defender Stefan De Vrij and past Verbruggen from a narrow angle.

“That’s my bread and butter — running in behind, causing trouble,” Watkins said.

If that sounds quite basic, then that’s the kind of striker Watkins is.

Hard-working.

Selfless.

Pretty much the ultimate team player.

“I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to this point,” said Watkins, who was tied as the fourth top scorer in the Premier League this season with 19 goals. “It’s not just this season, it’s cumulative.

“I’ve done a lot of hard work and I’m going to enjoy every moment.”

That was evident as Watkins was engulfed by joyous teammates on the field at Westfalenstadion after his goal, his fourth for England. Two of them came against San Marino, the world’s lowest-ranked team.

“It was slow motion when I was running to the boys and celebrating… I didn’t want to leave the pitch,” he said.

“I’ve had a few messages from my friends saying, ‘Be patient, you’re going to get an opportunity.’ When I’ve been on the bench, I’ve definitely said to (backup goalkeeper) Dean Henderson, ‘I can make a difference today, I need to get on that pitch.’ Obviously I’ve taken my chance when I’ve got it and I’ve scored and now we’re in the final.”

Southgate smiled as he said Watkins had “saved us another half hour” of extra time, which England needed to get past Slovakia and Switzerland previously in the knockout stage.

“Very, very special for him,” Southgate said.