From a newspaper ad to the World Cup final: The story of Spain coach De la Fuente

Luis de la Fuente’s journey to the World Cup final did not begin with a grand contract or a high-profile coaching opportunity, but with a job advertisement that opened the door to a position within the Spanish Football Federation. After being dismissed from his role at Deportivo Alavés in 2011, the Spanish manager endured a difficult period away from the sidelines, remaining unemployed for about 18 months until he spotted a newspaper ad stating that the Spanish Football Federation was seeking a coach to work with its youth national teams. He applied and was appointed to the post, marking the start of a long career that would eventually lead him to coach the senior national team and reach the World Cup final.

At 65, De la Fuente led Spain’s under-19 team to the European title in 2015, then guided the under-21 side to the European championship in 2019, before winning an Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo Games. After taking charge of the senior national team, he steered Spain to victory in the 2023 UEFA Nations League and the 2024 UEFA European Championship. Today, De la Fuente stands just one match away from a World Cup title, having led Spain to the final against Argentina, leveraging his extensive knowledge of a generation of players he has overseen since their youth national team days.