Spain were victorious in the Euro 2024 final over England, winning the final 2-1 in Berlin with a late goal from Mikel Oyarzabal, and celebrated with due delight. During their celebrations back in Madrid, they added insult, of a sort, to injury, with captain Alvaro Morata and star midfielder Rodri Hernandez chanting that ‘Gibraltar is Spanish’.
The chants earned both a one-game ban from UEFA, and while it might not have caused much animosity in England, it did rile up Gibraltarians, with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo publicly and harshly criticising both of them. As per The Athletic, Milan striker Morata told Rodri that ‘I was given a hard time there’, referring to England and his ill-fated move to Chelsea in 2017 when he struggled to settle. His intention was to wind up the English, although it did not exactly hit the mark in that sense.
🇳🇴✨ Alexander Sørloth was voted as Norway’s best player against Austria last night. pic.twitter.com/HQokRwnWpl
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The effects have been felt much more keenly in Gibraltar than England, with a minority on the British mainland feeling strongly about the rocky outcrop belonging to the United Kingdom. Gibraltarians on the other hand have a strong sense of Britishness on the whole, albeit not Englishness.
