They call them flowers, it’s like luck. Luis de la Fuente, Spanish coach, will face his sixth final as a coach this Sunday. Four in the lower category and two more as a full coach in a year and a half. He won them all, except the Olympic in Tokyo 2021, where he won silver. He started his path as a senior coach strong and last summer he won the Nations League title. Luis Enrique qualified Spain for the Final Four and De la Fuente finished the job after beating Italy (2-1) in the semifinals and Croatia in the final which was decided on penalties (0-0/5-4). .
Previously, he was European Under-19 (2015) and Under-21 (2019) champion and on Sunday against England he will achieve his particular treble with the senior team in Berlin.
Some luck is always necessary, but Spain reached the final of the European Championship in Germany after winning its six games. And not against any rivals: Croatia, third in the World Cup and winner of the Nations in June; Italy, the current champion; Germany, the host; or France, runner-up in the world and great favorites before the start of the European championship.
They have one final step left on Sunday: England, currently runners-up in the tournament and never having won a Euro.
But De la Fuente already knows what it’s like to win a continental trophy, even if it’s in a lower category. Regarding the 2015 U-19 Euro Cup, Spain defeated Russia in the final on July 19 of that year (2-0, goals from Borja Mayoral and Nahuel).
In the middle of that group is Rodri or Mikel Merino. Mayoral was the top scorer (with 3 goals) and Asensio was chosen MVP.
As for the Under-21 European Championship, Fabián Ruiz (now at PSG) and Dani Olmo (now at Leipzig) scored goals in the final against Germany (with the only goal coming from Nadiem Amiri) on June 30, 2019. Fabián, now a key player in De la Fuente’s team, was chosen as the best player of that tournament.
Another final in Luis de la Fuente’s career as a coach was at the last Olympic Games, held in Tokyo in 2021. Brazil defeated the Spanish team on August 7, 2021. Matheus Cunha advanced to the ‘canarinha’ (45+ 2′ ), Mikel Oyarzabal equalized (61′) and in the 108th minute of extra time, former Barcelona player Malcom decided for the Brazilians.
In the starting eleven of the Aro coach in that final are the current absolute internationals Unai Simón, Mikel Merino, the only two who have been in all the finals, Cucurella, Zubimendi, Pedri, Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo.
The final few count
Beyond his European titles, in the youth ranks, De la Fuente has been entrusted with another mission: to lead the team that in 2018 will compete in the Mediterranean Games in Tarragona. That team beat Italy 2-3 in the match for gold thanks to a hat-trick from Abel Ruiz, who the Rioja native has already tried in the senior team. Also there was Sancet, another player De la Fuente had in the senior team.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
