This is the new Spain", hailed the country's top sports daily Marca, after Luis Enrique's new dawn began with an affirming 2-1 win over England at Wembley on Saturday.
Spain dropped to ninth in the FIFA rankings, three places below England, after their World Cup defeat to Russia but there was little doubting the more dominant team in London.
The excellent Saul Niguez, who cancelled out Marcus Rashford's opener, was the stand-out performer while Rodrigo Moreno's winner brought a rush of Spanish optimism for the future under their new coach.
"Luis Enrique has started big, with a victory at Wembley," wrote Madrid daily, Diario AS. "A triumph that opens the Nations League and closes the nightmare of the World Cup."
His promise was for evolution not revolution and Spain delivered, combining possession with spontaneity and precision, the type of which was so lacking during their stilted performances in Russia.
"Spain has not lost the touch (and it should not) but aims to be much more versatile," wrote Marca. "The team was more vertical and much more aggressive without the ball. They used high pressure and England suffered."