Luis de la Fuente was one of the great protagonists this Monday at the gala of the Ballon d’Or of London in which he was crowned as the Best Coach of 2026 after his victory in the World Cup with Spain. The coach thus closed a historic winning cycle with the titles of Nations League 2023, Euro 2024 and World Cup 2026in addition to the 2025 Nations League final.
“You can see that a good job has been done. I don’t like individual recognition when sport is collective, “This is the recognition of a great work group: players, coaching staff and RFEF.”explained the coach in Night Radio Stadium.
De la Fuente won the award for best coach of the year for which he was nominated along with three other Spanish coaches: Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Luis Enrique. “It is the result of a great training that is being carried out in the RFEF and in the territorial schools,” celebrates De la Fuente.
Another of the great winners in the Spanish national team was Unai Simonawarded the award for best goalkeeper of the year and one of the most notable for the thank-you speech he gave in which he remembered David Raya and Joan Garciahis two teammates in the Spanish goal.
“The relationship between all the players is exceptionalit is our strength, but in a very special way for the goalkeepers,” De la Fuente highlighted.
Again without Ballon d’Or
But the big name of the gala was Harry Kanewho won the Ballon d’Or for best footballer of the year, thus once again leaving Spain without an award in the year in which they win the World Cup.
It already happened in 2010, when Messi was imposed on Xavi and Iniestaand it has happened again this year, in which the Englishman has achieved more votes than other players such as Lamine Yamal, Rodri either Fabian.
“It hurts me that a Spaniard didn’t win the Ballon d’Or. Football history is indebted to Spanish football because we should have had more Ballon d’Ors than we have. (…) Spanish footballers are the best in the world and I think it would be fair to recognize it there,” explained the coach in Night Radio Stadium.
