In an interview, the former director of Spain's youth academy stated that he had long anticipated Luis de la Fuente's abilities and revealed that he was the one who strongly advocated for bringing him into the football association.
You weren't surprised that Spain won the World Cup, were you?
"It wasn't surprising at all, because I know this team well and was very confident that we could reach the final. In the final, my friends and I even guessed the score correctly. The team had been on an upward trajectory, just like in 2010, we won the European Championship first, which gave us a lot of confidence."
You weren't surprised by De la Fuente's success?
“Not surprising at all. After he grew up in the Football Association, I knew that with his leadership style, he could do anything. He is better at handling personnel management inside and outside the national team than at the tactical level, and he is excellent in this aspect.”
Does De la Fuente still possess the same qualities you had when you recruited him to the FA in 2013?
"He is humble and has excellent humanistic qualities, which makes him even more crucial in the game, especially in choosing the right players at each point in time."
Has he changed a lot?
“He hasn’t changed at all. He’s still the same De la Fuente from 2013—humble, down-to-earth, and constantly learning and listening like a sponge.”
How did you bring him to the Spanish Football Federation back then?
“I brought him with me in May when we were leading Poland in the U19 European Championship qualifiers. I was short a coach and didn’t know who to ask. I talked to my mentor, Iñaki Saenz, and he said he’d think about it… and then he gave me the name De la Fuente. I didn’t know him personally at the time, and I don’t remember if he called me or I called him. We met, and I admired his character, which was something Iñaki had mentioned to me… I signed him for three months, and after we returned from the European Championship, I kept him to coach the U19 team. From then on, he began his development as a national team coach, which is completely different from being a club coach; they are two entirely different things.”
I heard that De la Fuente once considered leaving the Football Association because of poor performance?
“Those years were tough for all of us, especially the U17 and U19 teams failing to qualify, which was a huge blow to the development of our young players. Our whole team was under pressure. But we won the U21 runner-up title in 2016, the U17 European Championship and the U17 World Cup runner-up title in 2017, and in 2018, De la Fuente led the team to victory over Italy at the Pan Mediterranean Games. I don’t know if he really thought about leaving, but I won’t let him go.”
Back then, De la Fuente insisted that the team was more important than the individual. Did you learn that from him?
"Without a doubt, in the Football Association, the team always takes precedence over the individual, which has enabled us to achieve success time and time again."
What do you think is the ceiling for De la Fuente?
"It's hard to say what the ceiling is; he's already achieved everything. Now all he needs to do is continue to work humbly, and there will be even more to come."
You must know this group of national team players very well, right?
“The national team players understand competition, which is different from simply playing football. Those players who come from the youth training system know from a young age that if they don’t win, they have to go home. Merino, Cucurella, Oyarzabal, Rodri, Unai Simon… they all understand this because they won medals at a young age. I should count how many medals they have another day.”
What is the limit of this Spanish team? Do you think they can hold on until the 2030 World Cup?
"Many players will be in their prime by the 2030 World Cup, and there's still a batch of promising young talents who need further development to prepare them for the senior team. In this regard, De la Fuente, Aitor, and my colleagues will continue to do their jobs well, haha. If they don't ask for my opinion... just kidding."
