Spain have returned to the promised land. Sixteen years after Andres Iniesta’s famous strike against the Netherlands delivered their first FIFA World Cup title, La Roja are champions once again. They dethroned defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time at the MetLife Stadium, capping a tournament that reaffirmed Spain’s place at the summit of world football.
At the centre of it all stood Luis de la Fuente.
At 65, the oldest coach to win the FIFA World Cup, De la Fuente has completed one of the greatest managerial runs in international football. Since taking charge of Spain, he has led the country to the UEFA Nations League, Euro 2024 and now the FIFA World Cup, with Spain also extending their unbeaten run to 38 matches, the longest ever by a European or South American national team.
But for De la Fuente, Sunday’s triumph was about much more than tactics or trophies.
“In the past people were surprised about footballers being talented and skilled and being good people,” De la Fuente said after the match.
“We are the most united team and that is thanks to having people with solidarity and values.”
Spain’s football has long been admired for its elegant, possession-based style, but this generation has added another dimension to it. The passing remains crisp, the movement relentless, but beneath it lies a team built on trust and togetherness.
That philosophy has been years in the making.
Long before these players became European and world champions, De la Fuente was working with many of them in Spain’s youth setup. He guided a young generation featuring players who would go on to become senior internationals through the ranks, winning the UEFA Under-19 European Championship in 2015 and helping shape the identity of the side that now rules world football.
Players such as Unai Simon, Rodri and Mikel Merino grew under his watch before becoming the backbone of this Spain team.
“I’m so proud of this generation of footballers who have grown up with this philosophy, remained true to it, made it even better, and set an example as a team and a family. They’re excellent, world-class footballers with exceptional talent,” De la Fuente said.
“I’m very moved. Looking back and thinking about them, we’ve won everything, absolutely everything, with this generation of players.”
Spain’s latest triumph came in fitting fashion. They dominated possession against Argentina, limiting Lionel Messi’s influence throughout the contest before substitute Ferran Torres struck the winner in the 106th minute. Argentina, reduced to 10 men after Enzo Fernandez’s late dismissal, failed to find a response as Spain lifted their second World Cup title.
GOAL THAT BELONGED TO 47 MILLION
The theme of unity echoed in the words of matchwinner Ferran Torres.
Torres, who scored the only goal of the final, refused to take individual credit for the biggest moment of his career, insisting the strike belonged to the entire country.
“It was a goal scored by 47 million people. It wasn’t even mine or the 26 players’. It was destined to happen; it was meant to be a winner,” Torres said.
The forward also admitted facing Lionel Messi in a World Cup final brought its own pressure, but believed Spain’s football ultimately deserved the biggest prize.
“Whilst all finals are tough, when you’re up against Messi, you do get a bit nervous. We played better football.”
Those comments perfectly reflected the culture De la Fuente has built. Spain’s World Cup victory was not driven by one superstar or one defining individual. It was built on a generation that grew together, trusted one another and, under the guidance of a coach who has spent more than a decade nurturing them, climbed to the top of world football once again.
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