Spain issued this coin while defending back-to-back World Cup titles — the 2010 South Africa win followed the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, a run of dominance without precedent in international football. The timing proved bitterly ironic: Spain was eliminated in the 2014 group stage, finishing bottom of a group that included Chile and the Netherlands, who had thrashed them 5–1.
Juan Carlos I abdicated in June 2014, the same month the tournament began, making this one of the final commemorative gold issues struck under his name.
Spain issued this coin while defending back-to-back World Cup titles — the 2010 South Africa win followed the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, a run of dominance without precedent in international football. The timing proved bitterly ironic: Spain was eliminated in the 2014 group stage, finishing bottom of a group that included Chile and the Netherlands, who had thrashed them 5–1.
Juan Carlos I abdicated in June 2014, the same month the tournament began, making this one of the final commemorative gold issues struck under his name.