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Behind every great team stands a figure whose influence transcends tactics — and for Spain, that figure is a man who has nurtured an entire generation from wide-eyed teenagers into world-conquering warriors! Luis de la Fuente celebrated his 65th birthday during this FIFA World Cup™ — though he playfully insists he is only 55, and looks younger still. Yet his ascent to the pinnacle of the global game was anything but sudden. When he assumed control of Spain's senior national team in December 2022, he had already invested nearly a decade within the Spanish Football Association's corridors, mastering the art of player development long before he was entrusted with coaching superstars. In 2026, he embodies something far richer than a mere manager — he is a father figure to the 26 players in his squad, a description made all the more poignant by the coincidence of Father's Day in the USA falling on the same Sunday. But that paternal bond was forged long before this tournament. De la Fuente's odyssey through Spain's national-team structure commenced in 2013, initially taking the reins of the U-19 side before graduating to the U-21s and the Olympic team, and finally ascending to the senior post. During those formative years, he personally oversaw the development of the very players who now constitute the spine of Spain's World Cup challenge. Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Mikel Merino, and Unai Simon are just a handful of the luminaries who blossomed under his tutelage as teenagers. Defender Jesus Vallejo, who captained multiple successful youth outfits under De la Fuente, once crystallised the coach's greatest strength by observing that he had known many of these players since they were 15 years old. That intimacy has empowered De la Fuente to comprehend each individual not solely as a footballer, but as a human being — cultivating relationships that extend far beyond tactical blueprints. Before Spain's 4-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia, when asked about comparisons between Lamine Yamal and icons such as Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona, De la Fuente's response was quintessentially paternal: the greatest responsibility is to protect these young talents, to allow them to grow without the crushing weight of impossible expectations. In De la Fuente's Spain, family comes first — and that family is threatening to conquer the world.
