Euro 2024 has not, if we’re being brutally honest, been a vintage tournament full of champagne football but the glaring exception has been a vibrant Spain side coached by the unassuming figure of Luis de la Fuente.
A 63-year-old with no top-flight managerial experience, the man from the Rioja region has nonetheless formulated a winning blend of ripe young talent such as Lamine Yamal and the oak-aged likes of Rodri and Alvaro Morata.
So ahead of their semi-final with fellow sommelier botherers France on Tuesday in Munich, who is De la Fuente, the man who has transformed Spain from tiki-taka toilers into dynamic and direct contenders for the biggest prizes?
Made in the Basque Country
De la Fuente was born in Haro, which is in the Rioja region but close to the border with the Basque Country, and it is the latter area that has shaped his football life.
He spent 11 years playing in Bilbao and was part of the last Athletic team to win the Spanish league title in 1984. The former left-back also began his coaching career with Basque clubs before finding his way into the Spanish FA just over a decade ago.
Age-group success
De la Fuente took charge of Spain Under-19s in 2013 and led them to the European Championship two years later. He reached the final again in 2015 before moving up to the Under-21s, who he led to Euros glory in 2019.
That led to managing the men’s Olympic team in Tokyo, where Spain took silver after an extra-time defeat to Brazil in the final. And when Luis Enrique fell on his sword after a last-16 exit at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, football chiefs turned to safe pair of hands De la Fuente.
Trust in youth
Pacy wide forwards Yamal and Nico Williams, 21, are among Spain’s youngest players yet are key men in De la Fuente’s team. Midfielders Pedri and Fermin Lopez, both 21, have also been trusted by a coach who is steeped in nurturing talent at Bilbao and the Spanish FA.
He resisted calls to bring back veteran Sergio Ramos during wobbles early in his tenure, which included defeat by Scotland. More than half of his Euro 2024 squad have played for De la Fuente at age-group level, including Rodri, Dani Olmo, Fabian Ruiz and keeper Unai Simon.
Taking on tiki-taka
Spain remain a possession-based team under De la Fuente, but it is no longer sacrosanct. In a sign of this shift, the 3-0 win over Croatia earlier in Euro 2024 ended a run of 136 consecutive games in which Spain had more of the ball than their opponents dating back to 2008.
There is now more emphasis on “verticality” – or bypassing midfield triangles and hitting forwards earlier with direct balls, with Williams and Yamal the outlets.
Southgate parallels
De la Fuente’s story has plenty in common with Gareth Southgate’s, from the blossoming in international management to his very deliberate efforts to create a strong bond among the Spain squad.
Where they differ, however, is that De la Fuente has already landed silverware that has remained just out of Southgate’s grasp, leading Spain to the Nations League last year and in the process probably saving his job.