Ahead of the UEFA EURO 2024 final in Berlin on Sunday, the Spain coach discusses two of the world’s best young players and his love of English football.
Luis de la Fuente is eyeing EURO 2024 glory with Spain on Sunday
Although he is totally dedicated to beating Gareth Southgate’s team and making Spain European champions on Sunday night, it transpires that the UEFA EURO 2024 final is the culmination of more than 40 years of Luis de la Fuente following and admiring English football.
De la Fuente, 63, has at his disposal the most exciting young player in the world, but more about Lamine Yamal, and indeed Jude Bellingham, in a moment. First, it was time to explore why this Liga-winning Athletic Club defender turned hugely successful international coach is such an aficionado of British football.
Did your love affair with English football start when the 1982 World Cup came to your home town?
You’re right and I’ve got a really lovely memory of back then. The atmosphere around the tournament coming to Bilbao was fantastic and I was already in the first team at Athletic Club. We played various warm-up matches with a few national teams who were based there, for example Poland, but there had previously been a testimonial match for Txetxu Rojo at San Mamés in March 1982, which apparently was the first time England had played a club side. It’s a fantastic memory. England were captained by Kevin Keegan! Imagine that. Great memories: playing in Athletic Club vs England with a mythical footballer like Keegan in their side.
A few months later, you played for Athletic at Anfield – another famous English name.
That’s right. It was in the [1983/84] European Cup and against the best team I ever faced. Liverpool went on to be champions of Europe that season. We drew 0-0 at Anfield and they beat us 1-0 in a spectacular atmosphere at San Mamés. It was impossible to beat them. Both matches had atmospheres like cauldrons. What a rich experience that was.
Have you stayed an aficionado of English football?
Look, at Athletic we played a style of football at the time that was very British. We had so many similarities with the brand of football you would see in England back then. I’ve always been a big fan of English football – direct, quick, always attacking. Right now England has a terrific coach whose ideas about football are pretty universal. I think the Spanish and English national teams have much more in common than what separates them.
Jude Bellingham is very special. How would you describe him?
I know Jude really well. In fact, one of the first votes I had to participate in having only just taken over the national team, almost two years ago, was for the best players in Europe. Jude was still playing in Germany and I’d say much less known by the wider public – I voted him in second place.
He’s a footballer I like a lot. He has qualities which really appeal to me. He’s a strong player who has technical quality and harmony between his strengths, and who also has agility and elegance. He has these virtues, he scores goals – he’s an innate talent who’s becoming very important. Aesthetically he’s very enjoyable to watch.
After defeating France you used an ancient Roman phrase about Caesar when we discussed Lamine Yamal. Do you have a new one? Is it ‘Hail Lamine’?
Lamine is a natural football talent on an exceptional scale. There are very few like him. His greatness will be measured in how much he manages to stay even more humble each day. Football has so many ups and downs. One day you’re being praised, the next criticised – a lot. He has to keep a balance and the maturity which allows you to avoid the great highs and the great lows.
Because this is the history of football, it will always happen. The special thing right now is how difficult it is to do what he’s doing at 16 with such naturalness. But our responsibility as those who help shape him, above and beyond coaching, is to help him maintain his values, humility, responsibility, professionalism. These things will make him an even better person as he grows up, and then an even better footballer. To our great fortune, he’s Spanish and hopefully we’ll be enjoying a great footballer, if he has luck, for a long time at the top of the world game.