Spain are aiming for a fourth continental title at Euro 2024 with Luis de la Fuente hoping to lead them over the line to glory in Germany.
La Roja have impressed throughout the tournament. They are the only team in the semifinals to have won all their games, having taken three victories from three group matches before knocking out Georgia and hosts Germany.
De la Fuente has fused youth and experience into his team, with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal shining in attack, and veterans Nacho Fernandez, Rodri and Dani Carvajal keep the ship steady.
Despite his eye-catching performance in charge of Spain, De la Fuente is not as widely known as his predecessor Luis Enrique. The Sporting News takes a look at his journey to the top job in Spanish football.
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Who is Luis de la Fuente?
De la Fuente replaced Luis Enrique as Spain head coach after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with his first game coming in March 2023.
The former Athletic Bilbao defender has spent the majority of his coaching career working within youth football, including managing Spain at Under-18, U19, U21 and U23 levels before taking the senior job.
Was Luis de la Fuente a player?
Despite not being an immediately recognisable name outside Spain, De la Fuente enjoyed a strong playing career, the majority of which was spent at Athletic Bilbao.
As a left-back, he was part of the Athletic side that won successive La Liga titles in 1983 and 1984, the later coming alongside the Copa del Rey in a domestic double. Athletic have not won Spain's top division since those back-to-back championships.
He made 168 top-flight appearances across two spells at the club alongside stints at Alaves and Sevilla and represented Spain at U21 level.
Luis de la Fuente coaching career, stats
De la Fuente coached in the Spanish fourth and fifth tiers before accepting an offer to manage the Athletic Bilbao reserve team in 2006, followed by a short spell in charge of Alaves. He joined the Spain set-up in 2013.
He excelled within the national-team structure and gained a reputation as a coach on the rise with two European Championship titles at U19 and U21 level in 2015 and 2019, respectively.
Both sides included current members of his senior squad, such as Rodri from 2015 and Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo from 2019.
He also led Spain to a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in Japan. They lost to Brazil in the final, with a starting XI that included Mikel Oyarzabal, Unai Simon, Pedri, Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 19 | 15 | 2 | 2 |
| Spain Under-23 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Spain Under-21 | 42 | 34 | 4 | 4 |
| Spain Under-19 | 41 | 28 | 5 | 8 |
| Spain Under-18 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Alaves | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Athletic Bilbao reserves | 114 | 33 | 30 | 41 |
Luis de la Fuente's Spain career
De la Fuente took charge of his first game at the start of Euro 2024 qualification with a 3-0 win over Norway in Malaga in March 2023.
A shock defeat to Scotland in his second match in charge is the only competitive loss De la Fuente has suffered as Spain boss, as they stormed to qualification just ahead of the Scots in Group A.
He also secured a title last summer, as Spain won the UEFA Nations League Final series via a penalty-shootout win over Croatia in the final.
Luis de la Fuente playing style, tactics
Spain's triple successes at Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 were powered by the all-conquering Barcelona team led by Pep Guardiola.
Luis Aragones (2008) and Vicente del Bosque (2010 and 2012) looked to harness the midfield fluidity and dominance of Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta, to turn Spain into a winning unit.
Each tournament saw new players add to Spain's depth, with Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas bringing experience and defensive resilience, alongside goals from Fernando Torres and David Villa.
Cesc Fabregas and Xabi Alonso added midfield alternatives but the core reflection of the possession-based style championed by Spanish coaches including Guardiola remained clear.
Subsequent managers have looked to move Spain into the current era with mixed results, but De la Fuente seems to have stuck a genuine balance.
He has been steadfast in keeping a four-man defence but with a greater focus on defending being the priority, which suits the likes of Carvajal, Nacho and Robin Le Normand.
The structure of the midfield and attack has changed significantly with Rodri anchoring in a Busquets-style role.
The pace and directness of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams allows Spain to press higher up and player quicker into attack, rather than recycling possession in midfield, with Pedri and Fabian Ruiz/Dani Olmo required to break from deep to support the front three.