Luis de la Fuente, in temperament, bears little resemblance to Jose Mourinho. The Spanish head coach has none of the Portuguese’s rodomontado. Such is his commitment to humility that when Deportivo Alaves sacked him after three months in the job, midfielder Carlos Indiano suggested it was partly because de la Fuente was too nice.
There was one exception. When the RFEF appointed him as Luis Enrique’s successor following Spain’s round of 16 exit at the 2022 World Cup, the reaction was dubious. Enrique came away with the Champions League title. Julen Lopetegui won the Europa League. De La Fuente had the youth team’s trophies and humble ways. The questions in his presentation revolved around inexperience. He allowed himself, in short, to wear a cloak of humility: “In all my humility and sincerity, if there is anyone who knows what the future of Spanish football is, it is me.”
Nearly four years later, those words read less like courage and more like prophecy. Spain have lost just twice in 42 games under De La FuenteTheir last competitive loss was three years ago. His winning percentage is 73.81. He has won the Euro and the Nations League. It is hard to dispute the result.
Process has become an almost sacred word in Spanish coaching circles. When de la Fuente guided Spain to the 2019 European Under-21 Championship, he was more relieved by the three-year project than overwhelmed by the trophy. At the heart of his process is one principle: consistency.
goals. ⚽
saves 🧤
Final touches before the real thing.
Tomorrow, it will start. 🇪🇸🏆#VamosEspaña | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/u3YHETACqR– Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) 14 June 2026
Goalkeeper Unai Simon is a clear example of this. No player has made more appearances for Spain under de la Fuente than Simon, who was part of the 2015 Under-19 Euro-winning squad under the same manager. Neither David Raya’s successive Premier League Golden Gloves nor Joan Garcia’s Zamora Trophy seriously threatened his position. Simon is one piece of a much bigger puzzle. Rodri and Mikel Merino were his teammates in the under-19 team. Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo, Pedri and Mikel Oyarzabal played for the Under-21 Euro team de la Fuente.
Of the 25 players Spain brought to America, 16 have been playing for De La Fuente since their youth. Six more made their senior debut under him. If that doesn’t work, critics will be within their rights to accuse them of bias. It has worked. Continuity has proven to be the bedrock of Spain’s resurgence.
They have scored 125 goals under De La Fuente, an average of three per game. Much of that productivity comes from an unusual trio: Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal and Nico Williams. Yamal, the youngest player to win the Euros, will be the first name to reach any neutral. When they look ahead, they find Williams, who would be the headline act on most other teams. Between the two flamboyant wingers sits the hard-working Oyarzabal, who rarely draws attention. His record speaks for itself: 25 goals in 53 games, a strike rate higher than both Fernando Torres and David Silva.
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Spain is not just about goals. They have kept 19 clean sheets under De La Fuente, almost one every other game. Shielding the defense are Rodri, Spain’s first Ballon d’Or winner since 1960, and Champions League winner Fabian Ruiz. During qualifying, Spain scored 21 goals and conceded just two – a defensive record surpassed only by England’s zero.
Finding fault with this Spanish team is the needle and haystack exercise of world football.
❤️🇲🇽 Puebla, thank you for your incredible support.#VamosEspaña | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/XSUlfQ4nLG
– Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) 10 June 2026
History, however, offers a note of caution that deserves more than a footnote. Of the 16 occasions the World Cup has been held two years after the European Championship, only two nations have won both tournaments. Spain will be third. No team in the modern era has maintained that kind of dominance – without anything – injury, discomfort, a moment of complacency – intervening.
Both Yamal and Williams missed the friendlies against Iraq and Peru and are unlikely to feature in Monday’s opener against Cape Verde. The room will be tested before the stars return.
At the time of his appointment, de la Fuente was asked if he would re-sign Sergio Ramos and other Real Madrid players overlooked by Enrique. His reply: “I don’t see IDs.”
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Instead he has given Spain a new identity and fans know what’s on the cards.