When Spain's victorious football squad touched down in Madrid on Monday, they were greeted with the words: "Welcome to a happier country." Emblazoned on a giant poster hung up by fans in the arrivals lounge, this embodied the mood and optimism of an entire nation.

The word "nation" is not bandied around easily in Spain. But if the World Cup win has proved anything, other than that Spain plays the best football on the planet, it is that the country can put aside its regional differences - at least for the time being - and be united in victory.

When the final whistle blew in Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday night, minutes after Andres Iniesta had scored the winning goal, rivers of crimson- and gold-bedecked fans flooded into the avenues of Spain's towns and cities, horns hooted, firecrackers boomed, vuvuzelas sounded and tears of happiness flowed down the cheeks of young and old. The national flag swung from uplifted arms and the collective chant of Somos Espanoles - "We are Spaniards"- rang out across a thousand plazas.

Such scenes were to be expected in the Spanish capital, of course - but they were also repeated in Barcelona, where only the day before tens of thousands of Catalan nationalists had taken to the streets to assert their independence from Madrid, and to protest at a ruling by Spain's Constitutional Court that rejected a statute giving the region more power.

The statute, which was passed in a referendum in July 2006, had outlined the north-east's autonomy. The court, however, ruled that there was only one "nation" - Spain - and that the Catalan language could not be given priority over Castilian Spanish. Nationalist parties, which make up a sizeable proportion of the regional ruling government, were furious at what they saw as a kick in the teeth by Madrid, and demanded a show of strength under the slogan "We are a nation - we decide ourselves". Buildings were decked out in the Catalan colours and the regional flag was hung from balconies.

But it proved the wrong weekend to stage such a protest. Less than 24 hours later, the Spanish national flag was everywhere, as football delivered a robust challenge to those who insist that Catalonia is a separate nation. One hundred thousand people gathered in Barcelona's main square - a location whose very name, Plaza Espana, is significant - to watch the final on giant screens.

Nationalists argue that Catalan support for the Spanish national team stems from the fact that seven members of its starting 11 turn out for Barca every week, and that in this World Cup all the winning goals were scored by Barca players. This, they say, has made it easier for those with nationalist tendencies to throw their support behind La Roja - The Red, as Spain's team is known.

The truth is, however, that most Catalans see no contradiction in identifying with Spain or the national football team. Their first language might be Catalan, but that does not disqualify them from feeling pride in a side that is globally credited as the perfect example of the beautiful game. In the words of one fan, a Catalan bar owner: "The politicians here just use this nationalism as a strategy to divide people. Football is far bigger than that."

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero is hoping that the feel-good factor will help diffuse what threatens to be an explosive political row with the Catalan nationalists. It is, after all, one he can ill afford as he struggles with a stagnating economy, 20 per cent unemployment and a burgeoning public deficit. The victory, he said, "will positively increase self-esteem and confidence in the country".

As hundreds of thousands of fans flocked to pay homage to their returning champions, who toured the capital on an open-top bus, Spain did appear to be a happier country. It will stay that way, at least until the hangover kicks in.

By Fiona Govan, The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph