Luis de la Fuente: The architect behind Spain’s World Cup revival

The Spanish seem to be particularly adept at frustrating their opponents. Their prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has shown this on the geopolitical playing field, repeatedly excoriating Trump over his refusal to let the US use Spain’s airspace to go to war with Iran.A few weeks later, Luis de la Fuente, the boss of their national team, expressed similar faith in his theory of “camaraderie” to thwart football’s powerhouses – Portugal, Belgium, France and finally the “untouchables”, Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Spain’s World Cup triumph marks the return of a footballing empire – one built not on the brilliance of superstars, but on the strength and appeal of the collective.After conquering Europe in 2024, Spain’s victory in New York on Sunday capped a remarkable renaissance two years later and confirmed that the country’s footballing identity had evolved rather than simply reverted.A possession-based approach that suffocated the opposition into submission, pioneered by Luis Aragones, earned Spain their first continental trophy in 2008, after 44 years.Then in 2010 they conquered the world riding the Vicente del Bosque passing carousel. The European summit topped in 2012 was a highlight, a delicious mix of passing creativity and penalty area sharpness. But then Spain lost its way in a passing warp.Caught in a possession maze, Spain have been mired in the quagmire since Del Bosque’s men failed in 2014. Enjoying 75% possession, Luis Enrique’s boys failed to score in 120 minutes against Morocco at Qatar 2022! Enter Luis de la Fuente. As of Sunday, Spain had yet to lose any of their continental clashes since the 65-year-old’s appointment four years ago. La Roja won all seven matches and scored 15 goals at Euro 2024. This time they have won seven of eight with one draw, scoring 14 and conceding only once. He took advantage of ten years of nurturing Spain’s youth teams and took advantage of his deep bonds with the players he nurtured from their teenage years.Unlike many modern international sides that revolve around one transcendent figure, Spain’s greatest strength was that no player was indispensable. Lamine Yamal dazzled, Rodri controlled, Pedri dictated the pace, Nico Williams stretched the defense and substitute Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal. However, none of them carried the burden alone. With the fate of the final still hanging in the balance, Rodri made way for Zubimendi in the 99th minute for his first taste of the World Cup. Ideas over icons.De la Fuente himself was the architect of this revival. He coached Spain’s Under-19s to the European title in 2015, the Under-21 European Championship in 2019 and the Olympic side to silver in Tokyo before taking charge of the senior team in 2022. Many of the players who lifted the World Cup learned his theorems as teenagers. The players arrived in a senior team that speaks De la Fuente fluently. The national team was simply the last stage of a long development journey.Euro 2024 offered the first glimpse of this transformation. Spain have abandoned the stereotype of sterile ownership that defined the final years of the Xavi-Iniesta era (2008-2012). They added speed, verticality and athleticism.Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams provided width and acceleration, while Rodri and Pedri provided control in midfield. The European title was the foundation of a larger project that reached its logical conclusion on Sunday.