Luis de la Fuente reflected on Lamine Yamal’s “touch of genius” in one breath, and then in the next eulogised about the “26 geniuses” he had at his disposal. On one point, however, he was more than clear: as his Spain side marched into the Euro 2024 final, to face either England or the Netherlands on Sunday, there is more to come from them.
“Insatiable,” was how De La Fuente described a group of players who arrived in Germany perhaps a little under the radar, but have grown and improved into the tournament. “This may surprise you more than it surprises us,” De La Fuente told the assembled media after beating France 2-1 in Munich. “We knew the raw materials we had. We knew the quality of these footballers.
“Individually they are fantastic, but they make the collective benefit from their individual qualities. They always work for the common good, they are generous in their efforts, and this is just one more sign that this is an insatiable team that wants to keep improving. England and the Netherlands are two great teams who will demand the best from us.”
On Lamine Yamal, whose outrageous 25-yard dipper equalised Randal Kolo Muani’s early goal, De La Fuente said: “We saw a touch of genius from a footballer who we all need to take care of. I would like him to work with the same humility, keep his feet on the ground, keep that same maturity that he shows on the pitch. Fundamentally I celebrate that he’s on our team, he’s Spanish, and we hope we can enjoy him for years to come.”
Lamine Yamal himself remained tight-lipped when asked who his post-game taunt – “speak now, speak now”, he shouted into the camera – was aimed at. But it was widely interpreted as a dig at Adrien Rabiot, who had said in the buildup to the game that the teenager would “have to do more than he has done so far”.
De La Fuente criticised the reception given by German fans to Marc Cucurella, who was booed after a handball penalty against him was not given in last Friday’s quarter-final. “I am against any disrespect,” he said. “I know the people who booed him do not represent Germany, which as a host has been extraordinary.”
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The France manager Didier Deschamps declined to speculate on his own future after his side’s disappointing exit. Deschamps is contracted to 2026 but when asked whether he would lead France to the next World Cup, he snapped: “I just lost a semi-final. Ask my president. Maybe you shouldn’t even have asked this question.”