Though glowing from a number of recent sporting triumphs, Spain is struggling under the weight of a complex economic crisis. Ian Fraser reports.

‘Spain: great at football; disastrous at economics’ was the headline in La Gaceta de los Negocios on 30 June, the day after Spain’s momentous victory over Germany in the Euro 2008 final. The country’s other summer sporting triumphs – including Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon and the Olympics, and cyclist Carlos Sastre in the Tour de France – brought further cheer to Spanish sporting fans. In economic terms, however, there has been precious little to celebrate at the moment.

Last yea