World Cup 2022 final in Lusail, Qatar, was about superstars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Euro 2024 final in Berlin, Germany, was about new generation heroes such as Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer, said a Calcuttan who watched both the finals from the stands.

Kumar Mitra, 79, and wife Dolly had supported Messi and Argentina had lifted the Cup in 2022. In Sunday’s final, they rooted for England but the team lost.

“In the World Cup final, we prayed for Messi because he had won everything but the World Cup. In the Euro final, we supported England because they did not win anything big after the 1966 World Cup. England had lost the last Euro final in a tiebreaker (against Italy). But this time, Spain was too good for them,” Kumar said over the phone from Berlin.

“The English fans were emotional but their team could not match the speed of Spain’s youngsters. My wife and I were wearing England’s scarf and supported them but we knew they would need a lot of luck to beat Spain,” said Kumar, who watched nine matches in Euro 2024, including both the semis and the final.

He felt the semi-final between Spain and France was a better match compared to the final.

“Spain defeated tough opponents like Germany and France on their way to the final. But the only strong opponent England faced was the Netherlands, in the semi-final,” he said. “So, even before the final, we knew it would be difficult for England.”

The majority of the fans at Olympiastadion in Berlin were English supporters. “They were singing songs and beating drums continuously. The emotion engulfed everyone. After winning the semi-final, English fans did not leave the stadium for two hours and were singing,” Kumar recounted.

“After the World Cup final, Argentine fans were celebrating, too. But in Germany, it was on a much bigger scale.”

During the break before the final, the couple went to Amsterdam on a leisure trip.

“While returning, half the train compartment was filled with English fans. They were telling us how desperate they were to win. They didn’t care about the strategy. They said what mattered to them was victory. But Spain was playing better football,” Kumar said.

He said he enjoyed watching Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Dani Olmo and other Spaniards.

“They reminded me of the Netherlands team in my younger days, when Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard played. That was a dream combination and I think this Spanish team has footballers who have the potential to become like them,” said Kumar.

He remembered the Spanish team 20 years back when Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets won the World Cup and Euro.

“But this team was playing different football. They seemed to have more penetration in front of the opponent’s goal,” Kumar said.