Today’s Video: Viva España y Marcos Senna!

On Sunday, the Spanish men’s soccer team captured the European Championship with a 1-0 win over Germany. Fernando “el Niño” Torres’ first-half tally was enough for la madrepatria to win their first title in major competition since 1966 and to become the second team in Euro history to win the title with an undefeated record.

While the European Union has been preoccupied with strengthening immigration laws it’s interesting to note that a few of the players at Euro 2008 were of Latin American background. French star David Trezeguet has some Argentine blood while Colombian-born Johan Vonlathen played on the Swiss team.

At least five footballers at Euro 2008 were born in Brazil yet played for countries like Portugal and Turkey. One of them was midfielder Marcos Senna who was born in Sao Paulo, gained Spanish citizenship in 2006, and nearly scored in today’s Euro title match in Vienna.

In honor of Senna and his adopted country’s championship, here’s a brief look at his defensive toughness and fortitude during the key quarterfinal victory over World Cup holders Italy:

Sources- YouTube, Euro 2008 Blog, AFP, The Latin Americanist, Wikipedia