It seems that all countries, with the exception of England seem to go through phases of producing a 'generation'of talent. Let's take Spain as an example and look at 5 different leading and hugely popularsports.
Cycling - Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador won the 2009 Tour de France after a gruelling and very closely matched race.
Formula 1 - Spanish F1 driver Fernando Alonso dominated the Formula 1 scene in 2005 and 2006 with back to back world championships which helped secure a second Spanish Grand Prix at Valencia each year in addition to Barcelona.
Tennis - Rafael Nadal has stormed the world rankings and even after a lay off through injury he has climbed back up to the top with recent winsat Wimbledon and of course the French Open 2010 and as this article goes to press he has just won the 2010 Wimbledon title, again.
Football - After many years on the fringe of the great European clubs and the recent domination of the French football team, Spain finally proved their critics wrong by winning the Euro 2008 championship and giving them great hope and confidence for the 2010 World Cup.
Moto GP - Spain always seems to produce a host of fabulous riders the most recent of which include Daniel Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo and Julian Simon. In the 2010 season it looks as if the crash and subsequent injury to Valentino Rossi may have handed Jorge Lorenzo the best shot at the world championship.
Maybe the reason so many good sports stars are being produced in Spain is the access and affordability of sporting facilities and the encouragement they get from an early school age. In addition Spain still has a ruling that sporting events of national interest must be shown on free terrestrial television.