De la Fuente: I said it a long time ago, questioning Rodri is an insult to intelligence.

After leading his team to a 2-0 victory over France in the World Cup semi-final and advancing to the final, Spain's head coach, De la Fuente, attended a press conference. This article is the third part of the press conference.

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Hello, you have talked about this generation of players and this team many times. The first competition you coached with the Spanish Football Federation was the U19 European Championship, where France eliminated you in the semi-finals, and Laporte was on the other side. From those two competitions that initially frustrated you - as you described in your book - to your current achievements, to the achievements you have made with these players and this team, how do you view this journey now?

You see, today is truly a very exciting and touching moment. Obviously, it's great to be able to stand here now, enjoying all of this with this generation of players, especially with some of them, as we've embraced each other deeply. It's because we're reminiscing about that period, the year I coached my first generation of players in 2013, at the European Under-21 Championship held in Lithuania, where France eliminated us in the semi-finals. Those players aren't here now.

But then came the next generation of players, and two years later we won the European Under-21 Championship. We hugged each other, exclaiming: Who would have thought that around 2015 or 2016—sorry, 11 years later—after going through what we've come a long way, we'd meet in the World Cup final? Right? It's just as I've always maintained, and that makes it all the more exciting. It makes me feel privileged, proud of them, proud of these players, and proud of the later, more accomplished ones.

But under any circumstances, you will understand that it is a tremendous honor and source of pride for me to have led such a fantastic squad to where I am today. The bonds that unite us, as I said, transcend the realm of pure football. This locker room isn't just about the head coach, coaching staff, and players, right? It's also about us as human beings, with other connections that are incredibly difficult to break, providing us with immense energy and strength in any challenging moment.

Hi Luis, congratulations on reaching the final! The whole country is celebrating in the streets. Luis Aragonés always said that we only celebrate when we win, and he always does. Do you think you can control the euphoria that might be building in the locker room? Or is today meant to be a day of celebration?

Thank you. I am a huge fan of Don Luis Aragonés, and of course, he was also a very important role model. I also have something to say today: I have a deep sense of remembrance and love for Don Luis Aragonés. Of course, this also applies to my role model coach, Don Vicente del Bosque, and Iñaki Sáez, please allow me to say so.

But I must tell you one thing: I dislike those overly literary, newsworthy clichés, like "the final is for winning, not for playing." I don't buy into that; that's not my personality. I believe the final is for playing, and getting to the final is extremely difficult, incredibly tough. How can you not feel proud and happy to have reached the final, to be able to participate? That's the most important thing. As for whether you ultimately win or not, there's always only one team that wins.

So for me, some of those words really don't align with my lifestyle or my philosophy of life. I'm someone who values the process, the journey, and the challenges a lot; getting to that position is extremely difficult, and I think many players in the locker room feel the same way. As I've repeatedly emphasized, this makes us very resilient in the face of adversity and difficulties.

We should value a person's achievements. To be able to stand here like us, in this way, having walked the path we've traveled, is extremely difficult. Therefore, I highly value the achievement of being qualified to compete for a certain honor—that itself is a success. Whether or not we ultimately achieve it is perhaps icing on the cake. So right now, we feel very happy and joyful.

Hello, you have repeatedly stated that Spain is the best team, but please allow me to focus on Dani Olmo personally. It seems that since he has secured a starting position in the 11 and the team, the team's performance has improved. I wonder what your opinion is on Olmo?

Dani is a football genius, exceptionally good in his position. He's incredibly versatile and can play in different positions. Perhaps the position that truly best showcases his football potential is as an attacking midfielder, roaming between the opponent's lines. But I believe Dani Olmo's development is inextricably linked to the team's development, not the other way around. When Dani has these players around him, he's a better player, and they're what allow him to play at his best. And it's not just him; it's the same for many other players here.

The most important thing here is the team, and they understand that too. This isn't just me saying this to myself. They understand it, and we all understand it. Therefore, I highly praise Dani Olmo, but I also highly praise the team's work. It's precisely because of the effort the team put in to make Dani Olmo shine so brightly. Because that's the truth; in that position, he's a footballing genius.

Luis, I'd like to borrow a phrase you just used, this way of talking about "process," which I really like, and I'd like to comment on it. You were right, Dani Olmo played so well because he had a lot of excellent players around him, one of whom is Rodri. I'd like to know your opinion on Rodri, the recent Ballon d'Or winner. Some people criticized him, saying he couldn't get back to this level, but today he really gave a football lesson on the pitch. Personally, I think he showed a masterclass in midfield today. What's your opinion on him? Because he's a player who does everything very well—though perhaps not always in the spotlight—but does everything perfectly?

I said long ago that questioning Rodri was an insult to intelligence, and time has only proven us right. He was an extremely great footballer, forged from the best of ideals, and an ideal representative of this football philosophy, which I always tell my players.

This philosophy, this playing style, was tailor-made for this group of players, but why? Because we understand better than anyone what they can offer and what they can do to improve upon this philosophy. This is the players' achievement, but our achievement lies in selecting footballers who can integrate into this model, this philosophy. Rodri is that core, that positional key player who does everything right at every stage.

He embodied attacking football exceptionally well. He handled the ball with very few touches, and his passes penetrated the defense with incredible ease. His positional awareness provided the team with balance. He recovered countless balls, and defensively, he was an extremely important figure in our tactical system. It's fortunate to have a player of this type, and many other players are too. Therefore, I say this great team is composed of great individuals, but they all work for the team's benefit.