They have exorcised nearly all their demons after transforming themselves from perennial underachievers to serial winners on the European and world stage.

But there is one more hoodoo for Spain to break when they take on Russia in the World Cup on Sunday afternoon: they have never beaten a host nation at a major championship. And, judging by Fernando Hierro’s reaction to being asked about it on Saturday, it is not a statistic they like to be reminded of.

“Could you give us some good news, please?” Spain’s manager said, interrupting the reporter who had the temerity to mention his side had failed to win on all eight occasions they had faced the host nation at a World Cup or European Championship. “Statistics are there to be broken. You know that.”

Hierro has more reason than most to forget his country’s failures in this regard, having been in the teams which lost on penalties to England at Euro 96 and South Korea at the 2002 World Cup after being cruelly denied perfectly good goals.

The 50-year-old, whose international career was ended by the latter defeat, added: “Who gave you this statistic? Why are we always looking in the rear-view mirror? Why are we looking to the past?