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Luis de la Fuente (footballer, born 1961)

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De la Fuente in 2026
De la Fuente in 2026
Personal information
Full name Luis de la Fuente Castillo[1]
Date of birth 21 June 1961[2]
Place of birth Haro, Spain
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[3]
Position Left-back
Team information
Current team Spain (manager)
Youth career
1976–1978 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team; Apps; (Gls)
1978–1982 Bilbao Athletic; 59; (3)
1981–1987 Athletic Bilbao; 146; (1)
1987–1991 Sevilla; 86; (4)
1991–1993 Athletic Bilbao; 22; (1)
1993–1994 Alavés; 35; (3)
Total 348; (12)
International career
1978–1979 Spain U18; 4; (0)
1982–1984 Spain U21; 4; (0)
1988 Spain Olympic; 1; (0)
Managerial career
1997–2000 Portugalete
2000–2001 Aurrerá
2006–2007 Bilbao Athletic
2009–2011 Bilbao Athletic
2011 Alavés
2013–2018 Spain U19
2018–2022 Spain U21
2021 Spain Olympic
2022– Spain
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Spain (as manager)
FIFA World Cup
Winner
2026 Canada–Mexico–US
UEFA European Championship
Winner
2024 Germany
UEFA Nations League
Winner
2023 Netherlands
Runner-up
2025 Germany
Olympic Games
Tokyo 2020
Team
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner
2019 Italy–San Marino
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winner
2015 Greece
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Luis de la Fuente Castillo (born 21 June 1961) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who played as a left-back. He is the manager of the Spain national team.

He amassed La Liga totals of 254 matches and six goals over 13 seasons, with Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla, winning two league titles with the former including a double with the Copa del Rey in 1984.[4]

De la Fuente began working with Spanish youth teams in 2013, managing the under-19s to victory in the 2015 European Championship and the under-21 side to the 2019 equivalent. He coached the Olympic team to the silver medal at the 2020 games and took over his country's seniors in 2022, winning the 2023 Nations League, Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup, becoming the first manager to claim all three major trophies.[5]

Playing career

Born in Haro, La Rioja, de la Fuente graduated from Athletic Bilbao's youth system,[6][7] and made his senior debut with the reserves in 1978, in the Segunda División B. On 8 March 1981, he made his first-team – and La Liga – debut, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 away draw against Valencia.[8]

De la Fuente was promoted to the main squad in the summer of 1982. He scored his first professional goal on 26 March 1983, closing the 4–0 home win over Celta de Vigo.[9]

In July 1987, de la Fuente signed for fellow top-flight club Sevilla,[10] and continued to appear regularly the following campaigns in defence or as a left winger.[11] In 1991, he returned to Athletic for a 20 million pesetas fee,[12] featuring rarely under coach Jupp Heynckes who arrived one year later.[13]

De la Fuente joined Alavés in 1993, with the side in the third tier. After one season, he retired at the age of 33.[6]

De la Fuente earned caps for Spain at youth level. He also represented the under-23 side in qualification for the 1988 Summer Olympics.[14]

Coaching career

Early years

De la Fuente's first managerial job was at Portugalete in the regional leagues. In summer 2000, he was appointed at Segunda División B club Aurrerá de Vitoria,[15] but was sacked in March of the following year in spite of a seventh place in the table.[16]

After a spell back at Sevilla (academy), de la Fuente returned to Athletic.[17] Initially a manager of the youths and the reserves,[18] he also acted as match delegate for two years[19] before returning to his previous duties.[20]

On 13 July 2011, de la Fuente was named Alavés coach,[21] being dismissed on 17 October.[22]

Spain youths

On 5 May 2013, de la Fuente was appointed at the helm of the Spain under-19 team,[23] who won the 2015 UEFA European Championship in Greece.[24] He became manager of the under-21 side in July 2018, after Albert Celades resigned.[25] His first competition was the 2019 European Championship in Italy, conquered after the 2–1 final defeat of Germany in Udine.[26]

On 8 June 2021, de la Fuente and his team filled in as the Spain senior side for a UEFA Euro 2020 friendly against Lithuania, after the aforementioned squad had gone into isolation when Sergio Busquets tested positive for COVID-19.[27] They won 4–0 in Leganés.[28]

De la Fuente was also in charge of the Spanish Olympic team at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.[29] His side won the silver medal, losing 2–1 to Brazil in the final.[30]

Spain senior

On 8 December 2022, de la Fuente was appointed head coach of the senior side, as Luis Enrique resigned following a round-of-16 penalty shootout elimination at the 2022 FIFA World Cup by Morocco.[31] He was officially presented four days later, with a contract running until UEFA Euro 2024 with the option to be extended.[32]

De la Fuente won 3–0 in a European qualifier at home to Norway in his first game on 25 March 2023, with two goals by 32-year-old debutant Joselu.[33] He led the country to victory in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League (a first ever), defeating Croatia 5–4 on penalties following a 0–0 draw in Rotterdam.[34]

Spain finished the Euro 2024 group stage in first place, scoring five goals and conceding none.[35] De la Fuente's side went on to claim the trophy in Berlin with seven wins in as many matches, beating England 2–1 in the final.[36]

In January 2025, de la Fuente extended his contract until the end of Euro 2028.[37] After finishing first in qualification for the 2026 World Cup,[38] the team topped Group H in the finals[39] and eventually reached the final, their first since 2010, with 13 goals for and only one against, scored by Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere in the quarter-finals.[40] In the final, Spain defeated Argentina 1–0 after extra time to win their second World Cup, with him becoming the oldest manager to win the tournament at 65 years and 28 days old, surpassing the previous record held by his compatriot Vicente del Bosque.[41] Starting in March 2024, he guided his side to an all-time world record for the longest undefeated streak in men's international football, 38 consecutive matches without a loss in regulation time, including all at his first European Championship and World Cup tournaments.[42][43]

Style of coaching

Due to his background coaching in youth setups, de la Fuente liked to work with younger players familiar to him and not high-maintenance. Mikel Merino, Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal, Fabián Ruiz and Unai Simón won the under-21 European championship title during his tenure, and later represented the full team under the same manager.[44] He explained his philosophy by stating that "I come from a grassroots background. Our commitment, to the people we trust in the youth system, is not a pose, it is a conviction".[45]

Spain often dominated possession under de la Fuente, also starting to use a more traditional centre-forward and delivering more crosses to the box.[44]

Personal life

De la Fuente married a woman from Andalusia, with whom he had three children. One son, Alberto, was also involved in the sport, and at one point worked with his father in the Royal Spanish Football Federation as an analyst.[46]

Raised Catholic yet lapsed for some time, de la Fuente ultimately embraced the religion again in adulthood.[47]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 19 July 2026
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat. From To Record Ref.
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Portugalete 1 July 1997 30 June 2000 122 69 34 19 231 104 +127 056.56
Aurrerá 1 July 2000 14 March 2001 32 11 13 8 29 25 +4 034.38 [48]
Bilbao Athletic 8 July 2006 28 May 2007 38 11 12 15 39 49 −10 028.95 [49]
Bilbao Athletic 8 July 2009 7 July 2011 76 21 29 26 64 79 −15 027.63 [50]
Alavés 13 July 2011 17 October 2011 11 4 4 3 15 13 +2 036.36 [51]
Spain U19 5 May 2013 24 July 2018 51 36 6 9 90 48 +42 070.59 [52]
Spain U21 24 July 2018 8 December 2022 42 34 4 4 113 24 +89 080.95 [53]
Spain U23 1 June 2021 7 August 2021 7 3 3 1 10 6 +4 042.86 [54]
Spain 8 December 2022 Present 49 37 10 2 126 35 +91 075.51 [55]
Career Total 428 226 115 87 717 383 +334 052.80

Honours

Player

Athletic Bilbao

Manager

Spain U19

Spain U21

Spain U23

Spain

Individual

References

  1. Back to citation "Squad List: Men's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020: Spain (ESP)" (PDF). FIFA. 22 July 2021. p. 16. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  2. Back to citation Luis de la Fuente at WorldFootball.net
  3. Back to citation "De la Fuente" (in Spanish). Aupa Athletic. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  4. Back to citation Miñano, Rosario (10 July 2024). "El lado personal de Luis de la Fuente: discreto, familiar y elogiador de los futbolistas de la Roja" [The personal side of Luis de la Fuente: low profile, intimate and complimentary of the Roja footballers] (in Spanish). Antena 3. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  5. Back to citation Johnston, Neil (20 July 2026). "Sixteen titles in five years – why Spain are a dominant force". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  6. Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 Falagán, Aser (7 August 2021). "De la Fuente, el éxito de un técnico discreto" [De la Fuente, the success of a low-key manager]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  7. Back to citation Lidón, Inma (12 December 2022). "La hora de Luis De la Fuente, el hijo del marino apasionado del Athletic, criado en una mercería y fan de Julio Iglesias: "Vamos a pasar de la noche al día"" [The moment of Luis De la Fuente, the son of the sailor passionate about Athletic Bilbao, raised in a haberdashery and a fan of Julio Iglesias: "We are going to go from night to day"]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  8. Back to citation "0–0: Abdicación valencianista ante el Athletic" [0–0: Valencianista abdication against Athletic]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 9 March 1981. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  9. Back to citation Castañeda, Eduardo (27 March 1983). "El Athletic, sin problemas" [Athletic, no problems]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  10. Back to citation Granado, Luis (6 July 1987). "El lateral del Athletic De la Fuente firma hoy contrato por el Sevilla" [Athletic full-back De la Fuente signs contract with Sevilla today]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  11. Back to citation Jiménez, José Antonio (8 December 2022). "Luis de la Fuente: El seleccionador al que una tarjeta 'echó' del Sevilla" [Luis de la Fuente: The national team manager 'ousted' from Sevilla by a booking] (in Spanish). Mucho Deporte. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  12. Back to citation "El Sevilla traspasa a De la Fuente al Athletic de Bilbao por veinte millones" [Sevilla transfer De la Fuente to Athletic de Bilbao for twenty millions]. ABC (in Spanish). 5 September 1991. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  13. Back to citation Ruiz, Pako (15 May 2019). "Luis de la Fuente: "No tengo el corazón partido, mi vida ha sido el Athletic"" [Luis de la Fuente: "My heart is not divided, Athletic has been my life"]. Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  14. Back to citation Moreno Mena, Miguel (22 March 2025). "Dónde jugó Luis de la Fuente antes de ser el seleccionador de España" [Where did Luis de la Fuente play before becoming the manager of the Spanish national team]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  15. Back to citation "Una apuesta para dar un salto cualitativo" [A bet to make a jump of quality]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2 September 2000. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  16. Back to citation Parcero, Bruno (14 March 2001). "Los nervios afloran en el tramo final" [Nerves everywhere in final stretch]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  17. Back to citation "Luis de la Fuente, el último fichaje para Lezama" [Luis de la Fuente, last signing for Lezama]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 21 June 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  18. Back to citation "Luis de la Fuente, new Bilbao Athletic coach". Athletic Bilbao. 8 July 2006. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  19. Back to citation "Luis de la Fuente, the new delegate". Athletic Bilbao. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  20. Back to citation "Luis de la Fuente ya trabaja con el Bilbao Athletic" [Luis de la Fuente already works with Bilbao Athletic]. El Correo (in Spanish). 8 July 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  21. Back to citation "Luis de la Fuente retorna al Alavés como entrenador después de 17 años" [Luis de la Fuente returns to Alavés as a manager 17 years later]. Marca (in Spanish). 13 July 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  22. Back to citation M. Otero, Pablo (16 October 2011). "El Alavés destituye a su técnico Luis de la Fuente" [Alavés dismiss their manager Luis de la Fuente]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  23. Back to citation "La Federación Española ficha a Luis De la Fuente, que dirigirá la Sub'19" [The Spanish Federation signs Luis De la Fuente, who will manage the under-19s]. El Correo (in Spanish). 5 May 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  24. Back to citation occurrence 24.0 Back to citation occurrence 24.1 "Los campeones Sub-19 ya están en España" [The Under-19 champions are already in Spain]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 20 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  25. Back to citation "OFICIAL: Luis de la Fuente seleccionador sub 21" [OFFICIAL: Luis de la Fuente under-21 manager] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  26. Back to citation occurrence 26.0 Back to citation occurrence 26.1 Fisher, Ben (30 June 2019). "Classy Spain sink Germany to lift Euro Under-21 Championship". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  27. Back to citation G. Matallanas, Javier; Santos Chozas, Sergio (7 June 2021). ""Estoy preparado si tengo que dirigir a la Selección en la Eurocopa"" ["I'm prepared if I have to lead the national team at the Euros"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  28. Back to citation Feldman, Ben (8 June 2021). "Spain youngsters impress in Lithuania rout". Marca. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  29. Back to citation "Pedri, Garcia & Torres among Spain's Euro 2020 players named in Tokyo Olympics squad". Goal. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  30. Back to citation occurrence 30.0 Back to citation occurrence 30.1 "Tokyo Olympics 2021 medal count updates: who has won more? Tally by country, today, 7 August". Diario AS. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  31. Back to citation Lara, Miguel Ángel; Picó, Diego (8 December 2022). "Luis de la Fuente is Spain's new coach, succeeding Luis Enrique". Marca. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  32. Back to citation "Luis de la Fuente, en su presentación: "Va a ser una etapa fantástica"" [Luis de la Fuente, in his presentation: "This will be a fantastic spell"] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  33. Back to citation "Spain 3–0 Norway". BBC Sport. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  34. Back to citation occurrence 34.0 Back to citation occurrence 34.1 Smith, Emma (18 June 2023). "Croatia 0–0 Spain (Spain win 5–4 on penalties)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  35. Back to citation Herrero, Jorge (27 June 2024). "La perfección le sale cara a España: es la única que ha ganado sus tres partidos, pero no evita el lado difícil" [Perfection comes without a prize for Spain: they are the only won to have won their three matches, but do not avoid top section] (in Spanish). El Debate. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  36. Back to citation occurrence 36.0 Back to citation occurrence 36.1 McNulty, Phil (14 July 2024). "Spain 2–1 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  37. Back to citation "🇪🇸 In Good Hands: Luis de la Fuente extends Spain contract to 2028". OneFootball. 27 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  38. Back to citation Kallas, Fernando (18 November 2025). "Spain qualify for World Cup after 2–2 draw with Turkey". Reuters. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  39. Back to citation Feldscher, Kyle; Riddell, Don (15 June 2026). "Tiny Cape Verde shocks favorite Spain with a draw in country's first World Cup match". CNN. Retrieved 18 July 2026; Lowe, Sid (21 June 2026). "Lamine Yamal and Oyarzabal fire Spain to emphatic win against Saudi Arabia". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 July 2026; Azzoni, Tales (27 June 2026). "Spain wins its World Cup group, beating Uruguay as Muslera's error sends 2-time champions home". CBC Sport. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  40. Back to citation Lowe, Sid (2 July 2026). "Mikel Oyarzabal at the double as Spain beat Austria and cruise into last 16". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2026; Wilson, Jonathan (6 July 2026). "Merino strikes at the death for Spain to send Portugal and Ronaldo limping out". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2026; Harris, Beth (10 July 2026). "Belgium finally ends Unai Simón's 650-minute World Cup shutout streak in quarterfinals". Associated Press. Retrieved 17 July 2026; Ames, Nick (14 July 2026). "Spain reach World Cup final after Oyarzabal and Porro sink sorry France". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2026; "Spain outplay France to reach World Cup final". FIFA. 14 July 2026. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  41. Back to citation "Torres puts Spain on top of the world". FIFA. 19 July 2026. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  42. Back to citation "Spain set all-time unbeaten record with World Cup final win". ESPN. 19 July 2026. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  43. Back to citation Jiménez, Juan (20 July 2026). "Luis III, el Emperador" [Luis III, the Emperor]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  44. Back to citation occurrence 44.0 Back to citation occurrence 44.1 Corrigan, Dermot (20 November 2023). "This is Luis de la Fuente's Spain: Functional, lower-profile and with realistic expectations". The Athletic. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  45. Back to citation "Spain 'contenders' at Euro 2024 but need 'time', says De La Fuente". The Sun. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  46. Back to citation "Luis de la Fuente: la vida familiar de un hombre discreto, sin redes sociales y un hijo que se dedica al fútbol" [Luis de la Fuente: the family life of an unassuming man, without social media and a footballing son] (in Spanish). RTVE. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  47. Back to citation Martínez-Bordiú, Almudena (12 July 2024). "Coach says making sign of the cross before game 'is not superstition, it's faith'". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  48. Back to citation "Matches Luis de la Fuente, 2000–01 season". BDFutbol.
  49. Back to citation "Matches Luis de la Fuente, 2006–07 season". BDFutbol.
  50. Back to citation "Matches Luis de la Fuente, 2009–10 season". BDFutbol.
    "Matches Luis de la Fuente, 2010–11 season". BDFutbol.
  51. Back to citation "Matches Luis de la Fuente, 2011–12 season". BDFutbol.
  52. Back to citation "Spain U19: Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  53. Back to citation "Spain U21: Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  54. Back to citation "Spain U23: Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  55. Back to citation "Spain: Matches". Sofascore. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  56. Back to citation occurrence 56.0 Back to citation occurrence 56.1 ""The Barge years. The Athletic of 1983 and 1984"". Athletic Bilbao. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  57. Back to citation Gomes, Julio (18 January 2021). "Athletic Bilbao mostra que é possível resistir e, vez ou outra, ser feliz..." [Athletic Bilbao show it's possible to resist, and win, now and then...] (in Portuguese). Universo Online. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  58. Back to citation Hytner, David (19 July 2026). "Spain win World Cup after Ferran Torres breaks 10-man Argentina's resistance". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  59. Back to citation "Portugal 2–2 Spain (5–3 p)". UEFA. 8 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  60. Back to citation "IFFHS AWARDS 2024 – Luis de la Fuente, men's world best national coach". IFFHS. 22 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  61. Back to citation "IFFHS AWARDS 2025 – Luis de la Fuente, men's world best national coach". IFFHS. 23 December 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
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