DAR ES SALAAM: FOOTBALL does not always belong to the biggest names. Sometimes, it belongs to the best team. This week in the World Cup, Spain reminded us of that truth. La Roja did not field a squad full of star players as they don’t have that luxury.
They faced France, a team with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot, and Bradley Barcola. On paper, it should not have been close. Yet for 90 minutes, Spain dominated. 2-0. Clinical. Controlled! How? Because coach Luis de la Fuente picked identity over egos. Lamine Yamal, 19, played with the freedom of a kid and the discipline of a veteran. Rodri sat, dictated, and protected.
The rest ran, pressed, and played for the shirt. France had brilliance. Spain had a plan. And the plan won! That is the exact lesson Taifa Stars and coach Miguel Gamondi must take into AFCON 2027; a tournament we will co-host with Kenya and Uganda. Let’s be honest. On individual talent, we will not match Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, or Egypt. We don’t have a Mbappe.
We don’t have a Dembele. What we have are players like Ibra Bacca, Feisal Salum ‘Feitoto’, Idi Nado, Mudathir Yahya Abbas, Alphonce Mabula, and Charles M’mombwa. Players who may not make European headlines tomorrow. “Low calibre” on paper. But Spain proved paper means nothing. Spain pressed high, kept the ball, and rotated positions.
No panic. No hopeful long ball. Gamondi must do the same. With Feitoto as our Rodri. Feisal is not the fastest, but he sees the game 2 seconds early. Put him deep, give him responsibility, and let him dictate tempo. Let Idi Nado and Mudathir be the runners around him, our Gavi and Pedri.
If we try to out-muscle Morocco, we lose. If we out-think them, we have a chance. Lamine Yamal is just 19 and Spain trusted him. We have young legs in the NBC Premier League and in the diaspora who are hungry. The likes of Charles M’mombwa and Alphonce Mabula must be told: “This is your home AFCON. Run.” A home crowd covers 20 per cent of fear. Use it. France’s stars waited for the ball. Spain’s team created it.
That is the work rate. Attackers, say Nado and Selemani Mwalimu, must become our first defenders from the front, just like Dani Olmo and Yamal did for Spain. If our wingers and strikers don’t track back, Tchouameni-type midfielders from other nations will slice us open. But if all 11 defend, even “big names” get frustrated. Spain’s goals came from structure, not magic.
At AFCON 2027, with 60,000 in Benjamin Mkapa, one corner, one free kick can send us to the quarterfinals. Gamondi and his staff must make use of set pieces. That is where “smart” teams beat giants. The biggest danger for Taifa Stars is waiting for one man to save us. Spain had no hero. Everyone touched the ball.
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France waited for Mbappe, Dembele and Oliseh. They never came. If we go into 2027 praying for Feitoto, Nado and other individuals to do everything, we will be France. If we play like Spain, we become dangerous. Co-hosting is a once-in-ageneration gift.
The pressure will be immense. But pressure is also fuel. Spain did not beat France because it had better players. They won because they were a better team. Miguel Gamondi and his technical team don’t need 11 superstars. They need 11 believers who run for each other.
If Mwalimu, if Feitoto dictates, if Nado and Mudathir cover every blade of grass, if Mabula and M’mombwa play without fear, then in January 2027, when the drums sound in Dar, Nairobi, and Kampala, Africa will learn what France learned this week: The team beats talent when talent doesn’t work as a team. And Taifa Stars can be that team!