Fabian Ruiz targets Nations League glory as world champions Spain prepare to face England

The blockbuster meeting at Wembley marks La Roja's first competitive fixture since overcoming Argentina in July's World Cup final. That historic triumph saw Spain simultaneously hold both the World Cup and European Championship, echoing their golden era between 2008 and 2012. The visitors arrive in London armed with an extraordinary 38-game unbeaten run across all competitions.

Speaking to Spanish daily AS, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Ruiz insisted that the dressing room will not rest on their summer laurels. Relaying Luis de la Fuente's message and the challenge of sustaining elite standards, the 30-year-old said: "The manager has already told us that the past is forgotten; it's history, and that's wonderful, but now it's time to focus on the present. The hardest thing in football is winning again. Winning once is great, but doing it again is the difficult part."

Spain boast an impressive pedigree in the tournament, having reached three of the last four finals while suffering just one regulation-time defeat in their last 18 Nations League outings.

Underlining the squad's hunger to capture yet another major honour, the former Napoli midfielder added: "That's the challenge we have now: to want to win again, to keep winning. It's very difficult, but this team has what it takes to do it, and we're going for this title with a lot of enthusiasm; we also consider it very important. We hope to be in the final four [of the Nations League]."

History favours La Roja, who have won six of their last nine encounters against England, including a 2-1 victory in the Euro 2024 final. De la Fuente's side will look to protect their unblemished record before navigating tricky Group 3 tests against Croatia and Czechia. The result under the Wembley arch will serve as a vital benchmark for the world champions in their push to secure a Nations League finals berth.