All posts tagged: Luis de la Fuente

de la Fuente slams Argentina conduct after WC final

de la Fuente slams Argentina conduct after WC final

Published by Webster

2 min readJul 24, 2026 06:35 PM IST Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said that the Argentina players’ conduct after the final whistle of the FIFA World Cup final was “intolerable and unacceptable.” Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes physically tangled with Spain players Eric Garcia and Gavi while Spain captain Rodri was hit in the stomach as he ran past Argentina defender Nahuel Molina to celebrate th 1-0 win. “It cannot be allowed. In any case, I find it intolerable and unacceptable from players of that caliber, whom I had been praising in the days before and who have a magnificent coach,” De la Fuente told Spanish public broadcaster TVE. “I want to highlight our behavior in the face of that kind of aggression and provocation,” the coach said. “Our players always kept their composure and behaved like true professionals,” he added. Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala apologized Wednesday for his confrontation with Dani Olmo, which he described as a shove and not a punch. On Monday, FIFA opened an investigation after Spain’s celebrations on …

Will take time for this wound to heal

Will take time for this wound to heal

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: Jul 20, 2026 11:45 PM IST Argentine legend Lionel Messi said that the pain of losing the World Cup final to Spain will take time to heal while also thanking his teammates and everyone who supported the team throughout the tournament. He also congratulated Spain for winning the World Cup. “The pain is immense, it will take time for this wound to heal. But I also choose to hold on to all the good things, all matches we turned around by giving everything and moments that will remain in our memories forever. I will always remember the support of an entire country that, together with the work and effort of this group, brought us back once again among the best teams in the world,” messi posted on Instagram on Monday. “Today, it is difficult to appreciate what we achieved… but this group has really reached two consecutive World Cup finals. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and every message. Once again, we managed to come together as …

Emotional Scaloni on Argentina coaching future

Emotional Scaloni on Argentina coaching future

Published by Webster

3 min readJul 20, 2026 02:10 PM IST Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni was overcome by emotion and broke down in tears after his side’s 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday. Scaloni’s men were on the verge of becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win successive World Cups, but Luis de la Fuente’s Spain proved too much for La Albiceleste, with Ferran Torres’s extra-time strike stunning Scaloni’s men. ALSO READ | Sun sets on World Cup football’s greatest career as Messi tears drown out final The contract of the 48-year old with Argentine Football Association (AFA) runs until December and when he was asked about his future with the team during the press conference, Scaloni said: “I will talk to the president. I have an idea of what I would like to do. I will see out my contract and I feel the need… I don’t know if something as big can be done. We need to speak this through.” “I am thankful to the president …

Spain didn’t just win the World Cup. They made an argument for greatness

Spain didn’t just win the World Cup. They made an argument for greatness

Published by Webster

With his headmaster-like demeanour, Spain’s manager Luis de la Fuente waited patiently to lay his hands on the most prized sporting trophy in the world. He was in no haste, perhaps because he knew the trophy would be his and the wondrous band he has assembled would remain in contention for the next four years; perhaps he is fascinated more by the journey than the destination, or maybe he knows his team is not yet finished piling trophies onto the federation’s mantlepiece. He, and the whole world, could see the tidings of a footballing dynasty that could rule the world for the next decade. The second Spanish dynasty of the century, and as artful and delightful as the previous iteration, the tiki-takians. ALSO READ | Ferran Torres extra-time strike dethrones Argentina; Spain crowned champions The route to the crown was flawless, steadily raising their tempo from a goalless draw against Cabo Verde to the remorseless annihilation of a magnificent France to gently dismembering the fight and bravado of Argentina, the defending champions, the men of …

The World Cup is over. Spain’s coaching revolution isn’t

The World Cup is over. Spain’s coaching revolution isn’t

Published by Webster

“The coach,” Johan Cruyff liked to say, “is the most important player in the team.” Nearly three decades after he transformed Spanish football, the 2026 World Cup felt like the ultimate vindication of that philosophy. Spain reached the final under Luis de la Fuente. Standing opposite him was Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni – an Argentine who earned his UEFA Pro Licence through the Spanish coaching system. De la Fuente, quite fittingly, had even been one of Scaloni’s instructors. ALSO READ | Ferran Torres extra-time strike dethrones Argentina; Spain crowned champions The subplot of the final was teacher versus student. Yet, that was only the latest exhibit in Spanish football’s extraordinary coaching revolution. Just weeks before the World Cup kicked off, the Champions League final had featured two Spanish coaches – Mikel Arteta and Luis Enrique. Unai Emery had won the Europa League. In England, Arteta’s Arsenal finished ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Luis Enrique had already guided Paris Saint-Germain to another Ligue 1 title. Look around the world’s biggest leagues and competitions, and Spanish coaches …

Marc Cucurella says he will retire from football if Spain wins FIFA World Cup 2026

Marc Cucurella says he will retire from football if Spain wins FIFA World Cup 2026

Published by Webster

2 min readJul 18, 2026 04:20 PM IST Spain footballer Marc Cucurella has said that he will retire from international football if his side lifts the World Cup title on Sunday. The left-back also said he would get a tattoo of the current manager, Luis de la Fuente’s, face on his bicep. “If we win the World Cup, I’ll call Luis the next day and tell him not to count on me anymore, that I’m retiring from the national team. With a European Championship and a World Cup, I can’t do any better,” Cucurella said. “I would get a little tattoo of Spain manager Luis de la Fuente’s face on my bicep if we were to win the World Cup,” he added. The Spain manager was his usual calm, amusing self on Friday as he looked ahead to the showpiece match against his former pupil Lionel Scaloni’s holders, insisting his side would embrace the occasion rather than be swallowed up by its enormity. “I’m quite nervous because we’ll be returning by helicopter,” De la Fuente …

FIFA World Cup | Connections vs Organisation: France vs Spain a battle of football philosophies

FIFA World Cup | Connections vs Organisation: France vs Spain a battle of football philosophies

Published by Webster

The beauty of football lies in its ambiguity. This is not mathematics. There is no singular blueprint for success. France have illuminated the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the irrepressible brilliance of their front four: Kylian Mbappé, Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise; footballers who flourish in freedom and recoil from rigidity. It is a fitting image for a nation that has so often celebrated those who challenged convention and defied rules — from the Revolution to Surrealism and the Nouvelle Vague. France are first in shots on target and assists, second on goals and expected goals. Nobody is surprised. Yet, such has been this tournament that even the team that is the very antithesis of France — Spain — has also been successful, with the fewest goals conceded — just one in six matches. A team built on an unwavering faith in organisation, where the shirt outweighs the individual wearing it. After winning the 2010 World Cup, Vicente del Bosque had said there is no room for individualism in Spain’s philosophy of collective …

Spain’s backline bulwark Pau Cubarsi will make life tough for Belgium

Spain’s backline bulwark Pau Cubarsi will make life tough for Belgium

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All eyes were on the curly-haired wunderkind Lamine Yamal during a training session at La Masia. But the eyes of Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez wandered to a lean, tall figure with boyish looks. He summoned a youth coach by his side and told him he wanted the boy to train with the senior team the next week. On the day of training, when Xavi entered the training ground, he was there with a warm smile and introduced himself in a firm tone: “Hi, I am Pau Cubarsi.” Xavi was impressed. “He had none of the shyness you think of when a teenager called for his first training with the senior team,” the manager recalled to Spanish outlet MARCA. In months, along with the wunderkind Xavi had visited the academy to check out, Cubarsi became a regular in the senior team. After his debut, a Copa del Rey game against Unionistas de Salamanca, Xavi told the media: “With Lamine Yamal, he would mark an era.” He was only 16 then, but in Xavi’s assessment, he was …

Williams and Pino’s injuries overshadows Spain’s Uruguay triumph

Williams and Pino’s injuries overshadows Spain’s Uruguay triumph

Published by Webster

2 min readJun 27, 2026 06:47 PM IST Spain’s clinical 1-0 win over Uruguay was overshadowed by injury concerns, with reigning European champions now anxiously awaiting updates on the fitness of Yeremy Pino and Nico Williams. Courtesy of a goal from Alex Baena, Luis de la Fuente’s team topped the Group H table of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and will now face the runner-up of Group J in the round of 32 on 2nd July. However, they could be without two key attackers for that encounter. Williams had already arrived at the tournament carrying a hamstring issue that forced him to miss Athletic Bilbao’s final three La Liga matches. Accordingly, he has been used only as an impact substitute by de la Fuente, but the Spanish coach will be sweating over a fresh injury he picked up on Friday. Replacing fellow winger Lamine Yamal in the 76th minute, Williams was seen in discomfort Providing an update about the injury, de la Fuente said: “Nico was experiencing some slight discomfort. It could be a strain …