Luis de la Fuente Defends Spanish Football Ahead of Ballon d'Or

Luis de la Fuente has dropped the diplomatic mask. With the Ballon d'Or gala looming on October 26, the Spain coach has chosen confrontation over courtesy, turning a prime-time interview on El Larguero into a full-throated defence of Spanish football’s standing in the world game.

Spain have 26 nominees across the various categories this year. On paper, that looks like respect. To De la Fuente, it feels more like a consolation prize.

He is convinced the biggest trophy of them all has slipped past his players for far too long, and he did not bother to hide his frustration. The modern Spanish footballer, he argued, marries tactical intelligence with technical excellence better than anyone else, yet still watches others walk away with the game’s most coveted individual award.

“I think it has to be won by a Spaniard, because they are the best in the world in many aspects, including their understanding of the game. The Spanish footballer is an almost, almost perfect player. Furthermore, they have made more than enough merits in this year... And it seems that it is difficult to give that recognition to our players,” he said, drawing a clear line in the sand.

Yamal, Mbappé and a new world order

One name dominates the conversation around Spain’s present and future: Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona prodigy has already dared to place himself in the same bracket as Kylian Mbappé, a statement that would have been unthinkable for most teenagers, and controversial for many veterans.

De la Fuente, though, refused to slap him down. He embraced it.

For the Spain coach, Yamal’s boldness is not arrogance but evidence. Evidence of what he is already doing on the pitch, and what he is likely to do for the next decade. Mbappé, now the new flagship signing at Real Madrid, and Yamal, Barça’s rising star, are, in his eyes, the twin poles around which the next era of elite football will revolve.

“I think you have to see in what context it is said. And I think Lamine says it simply because he has made enough merits, just like Mbappe. They are two players with a different touch and who, in the coming years, respecting others, will mark football. It does not seem like a lack of respect to me that they say they have made merits to win it,” he insisted.

The message was clear: this is not a teenager getting carried away. This is a teenager already operating at a level where such talk no longer sounds absurd.

Forgotten pillars of a champion

But De la Fuente’s campaign is not just about the headline acts. If Mbappé and Yamal monopolise the spotlight, he sees that as part of the problem.

He is convinced that several key members of his title-winning Spain side have slipped into the shadows, their contributions quietly filed away while the world fixates on the same few global superstars.

Fabian Ruiz, in particular, became his reference point. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has been a central figure for Spain, a player who knits their football together at the highest level but rarely features in the global awards conversation. To De la Fuente, that silence says more about the voting than about the player.

He went even further when asked to choose between Rodri and Lamine Yamal for the Ballon d'Or. Instead of leaning into the obvious debate, he swerved to highlight those routinely overlooked.

“And Fabian, whom we always forget about,” he said pointedly. “The other day I said that I missed Mikel Oyarzabal, who at the very least should be among the 30, to recognize the talent of a fantastic footballer and who has been the top scorer for the world champion national team.”

That statistic matters to him. Top scorer for the world champion national team, and still not in the final 30. For De la Fuente, that is exactly the kind of detail the Ballon d'Or should weigh more heavily.

“Those things at the moment must be put in value, regardless of whether they later win it or not. I am also surprised that Pedri is not there, but of those who are, I do not bet on any one of them. Whoever wins it, of the Spanish footballers, I will be very happy.”

It was both a protest and a pledge: he will not single out one of his players above the rest, but he will not stop insisting that the winner should come from his dressing room.

Spain’s fortress in goal

If there is one area where De la Fuente feels the numbers speak for themselves, it is in goal. Spain’s depth between the posts has long been a point of pride, and this year’s nominations have only reinforced his belief.

Unai Simón, David Raya and Joan García – the three goalkeepers from Spain’s World Cup squad – are all up for the positional trophy. For most nations, having one name on that list would be a triumph. Spain have all three.

For De la Fuente, it simply confirms what he has been saying for years: Spanish goalkeepers do not just compete with the best. They define the standard.

“Let's bet on what is ours and value it. I believe that the Ballon d'Or should be won by a Spaniard, of course. In the same way that, in the trophy for goalkeepers, it is a privilege that we have the three goalkeepers from the World Cup nominated. And we have always said that among the five best goalkeepers in the world there are always three Spaniards, at the very least.”

It was a rallying cry as much as an observation. The coach wants a shift in mindset, at home and abroad: Spain should stop apologising for its talent and start demanding that it be recognised.

On October 26, the votes will reveal whether world football shares that view – or whether De la Fuente’s crusade will have to grow even louder.