Spain are aiming for a fourth continental title at Euro 2024 and Luis de la Fuente hopes to guide them to glory in Germany.
La Roja have impressed throughout the tournament. They are the only team in the semi-finals to have won all their matches, having recorded three wins from three group games before eliminating Georgia and hosts Germany.
De la Fuente has fused youth and experience into his team, with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal shining in attack and veterans Nacho Fernandez, Rodri and Dani Carvajal holding the ship steady.
Despite his impressive performances in charge of the Spanish national team, De la Fuente is not as well known as his predecessor Luis Enrique. The Jugo Mobile analyses his journey to the top job in Spanish football.
Who is Luis de la Fuente?
De la Fuente replaced Luis Enrique as Spain coach after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with his first match coming in March 2023.
The former Athletic Bilbao defender has spent the majority of his coaching career working in youth football, including managing Spain at under-18, under-19, under-21 and under-23 levels before taking on the senior role.
Was Luis de la Fuente a player?
Despite not being an immediately recognizable name outside of Spain, De la Fuente enjoyed a solid playing career, most of which was spent with Athletic Bilbao.
As a left-back, he was part of the Athletic Club that won back-to-back La Liga titles in 1983 and 1984, the latter together with the Copa del Rey in a domestic double. Athletic have not won the Spanish top flight since those back-to-back championships.
He made 168 top-flight appearances over two spells at the club, including stints at Alavés and Sevilla, and represented Spain at under-21 level.
Luis de la Fuente’s coaching career, statistics
De la Fuente coached in Spain’s fourth and fifth pisions before accepting an offer to manage Athletic Bilbao’s reserve team in 2006, followed by a brief spell in charge of Alavés. He joined the Spanish national team in 2013.
He rose through the ranks of the national team and earned a reputation as a rising coach with two European Championship titles at the U-19 and U-21 levels in 2015 and 2019 respectively.
Both teams featured current members of their senior squad, such as Rodri from 2015 and Fabián Ruiz and Dani Olmo from 2019.
He also led Spain to a silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan, where they lost the final to Brazil with a starting XI that included Mikel Oyarzabal, Unai Simón, Pedri, Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino.
| Matches | Victories | Raffles | Losses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 19 | fifteen | 2 | 2 |
| Spain U-23 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Spain U-21 | 42 | 3. 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Spain U-19 | 41 | 28 | 5 | 8 |
| Spain U-18 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Alaves | eleven | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Athletic Bilbao reserves | 114 | 33 | 30 | 41 |
Luis de la Fuente’s career in Spain
De la Fuente took charge of his first game as Euro 2024 qualifying began with a 3-0 win over Norway in Malaga in March 2023.
A shock defeat to Scotland in his second game in charge is the only competitive loss De la Fuente has suffered as Spain manager as they progressed to qualification just ahead of the Scots in Group A.
They also claimed a title last summer when Spain won the UEFA Nations League finals after beating Croatia on penalties in the final.
Luis de la Fuente’s style of play and tactics
Spain’s triple successes at Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012 were all powered by the all-powerful Barcelona led by Pep Guardiola.
Luis Aragonés (2008) and Vicente del Bosque (2010 and 2012) sought to take advantage of the fluidity and midfield dominance of Xavi Hernández, Sergio Busquets and Andrés Iniesta to turn Spain into a winning unit.
At each tournament, new players added to Spain’s depth, with Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas providing experience and defensive stamina, alongside goals from Fernando Torres and David Villa.
Cesc Fabregas and Xabi Alonso added alternatives in midfield but the central reflection of the game was based on possession The style advocated by Spanish coaches, including Guardiola, remained clear.
Subsequent managers have attempted to steer Spain into the current era with mixed results, but De la Fuente appears to have struck a real balance.
He has remained adamant about maintaining a four-man defence but with a greater focus on defence as a priority, which suits players like Carvajal, Nacho and Robin Le Normand.
The midfield and attacking structure has changed significantly with Rodri anchoring the team in a Busquets-style role.
The pace and directness of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams allows Spain to press higher and play quicker in attack, rather than recycling possession in midfield, with Pedri and Fabian Ruiz/Dani Olmo forced to come out from the back to support the front three.
