De la Fuente's Spain on the brink of history as World Cup quarterfinal awaits

Luis de la Fuente's Spain are closing in on greatness. They are bidding to become just the fourth team to hold both the World Cup and European Championship crowns at the same time, following Spain's own golden generation in 2010, France in 2000, and West Germany back in 1974. De la Fuente is now into his fourth year as Spain boss, having won the Euros two years ago. On Friday, he leads his side into a World Cup quarterfinal against Belgium. France would await the winners. Since taking over in January 2023, he has lost only three times and is on an extraordinary 35-game unbeaten run. Some coaches build teams through tactics, others through people. De la Fuente does both. But what really sets him apart is not a football philosophy alone – it is a way of understanding people. His style is based on controlling possession but with alternatives. Alongside that, he has created a culture. His success is the product of decades within the Spanish federation, shaping players and instilling values since 2013. At the heart of his worldview is a simple conviction: football is a team sport built by good people. Not good in an abstract moral sense, but generous, supportive, selfless and willing to sacrifice for the collective. “Those of us who have been in a locker room know what it means to be a good person,” De la Fuente said in an exclusive chat before the Belgium game. “Almost every squad has had the opposite, the player who disrupts harmony, who puts himself first.” Spain’s style has always relied on players who understand the game collectively. The passing, the possession, the positional intelligence – these are technical qualities but social ones too. The Spanish manager has added layers: more versatility, more depth, more comfort in transitions, more unpredictability in the final third, more solidity. Spain are still recognisable, still “the easiest team to analyse” (as a member of Portugal’s staff admitted), but “the hardest to beat.” His familiarity with these players comes from a decade of working with them at youth level. Against Cape Verde, Spain lacked finesse in their passing; against Saudi Arabia, the machine ran smoothly again. Against Uruguay, he insisted on calmness and emotional control, knowing Spain had historically lost matches when dragged into provocation. De la Fuente admits that earlier in his career he would have reacted more emotionally. “Experience has taught me to face these situations many times. I’ve been through these games – I’ve already lived through them and usually lost. Why? Because we didn’t know how to play certain types of games.” Now, his Spain look ready for anything. Greatness is within reach.