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Luis De la Fuente, the mentor who trained Scaloni and returned Spain to the World Cup final
🇦🇷 Argentina /Sports

Luis De la Fuente, the mentor who trained Scaloni and returned Spain to the World Cup final

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Spain's national team coach Luis de la Fuente has led his team to the World Cup final, fulfilling a long-held ambition.
  • De la Fuente previously coached Lionel Scaloni, now Argentina's coach, in a Spanish football federation course.
  • Spain's victory over France in the semifinal was a testament to their consistent playing style, which De la Fuente emphasized as the "best team in the world."

Luis de la Fuente, Spain's national team coach, has guided his squad to the World Cup final, a culmination of his extensive work within the Spanish football structure. His journey has seen him nurture talent from the youth levels up to the senior team, instilling a philosophy centered on possession and control of the game.

Now there is a lot of accumulated tension, it is a great responsibility and a luxury to be in a World Cup final. This is something for the chosen ones. When we started almost four years ago working with this team, we did it with an idea, we have been faithful to it and it has brought us here.

— Luis De la FuenteReflecting on the significance of reaching the World Cup final.

Remarkably, De la Fuente once instructed Lionel Scaloni, the current coach of Argentina, during a course at the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Should Argentina overcome England in their semifinal match, De la Fuente will find himself facing his former student for the sport's most coveted title.

De la Fuente expressed immense pride after Spain's decisive semifinal victory over France. He highlighted the team's unwavering adherence to their playing style as the key to their success, stating, "When we started almost four years ago working with this team, we did it with an idea, we have been faithful to it and it has brought us here."

We were facing one of the best teams, but they had the best team in the world in front of them.

— Luis De la FuenteAsserting Spain's superiority over France in the semifinal.

Despite facing a formidable French side led by Kylian Mbappé, De la Fuente asserted that Spain never feared their opponents. He confidently declared, "We were facing one of the best teams, but they had the best team in the world in front of them." His voice, tinged with emotion, conveyed the significance of reaching the final, emphasizing the "enormous responsibility and a luxury" of being in a World Cup final, a stage he believes is "for the chosen ones."

I say it because these players deserve everything. Every day they show their solidarity, their talent, their desire to be better. I am very happy.

— Luis De la FuenteExpressing his pride and happiness in his players.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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