When Luis de la Fuente took over Spain, he was the quiet federation coach stepping into the spotlight left behind by the much more glamorous Luis Enrique. So little was known about him outside Spain that some fans and media outlets jokingly asked: Luis de la Who?
Three trophies, 50 matches and one World Cup later, there is no question who he is.
De la Fuente is now Spain’s long-term man.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed on Monday that the coach has signed a six-year contract extension, keeping him in charge until the end of Euro 2032.
The deal, which was agreed during Spain’s successful World Cup campaign, is the longest contract ever given to a Spain head coach. It will take De la Fuente through Euro 2028, the 2030 World Cup and Euro 2032. Sources close to the federation also say the new agreement comes with a significant pay rise.
It is a reward for a coach who has turned years of quiet work, careful planning and youth development into the most successful period Spain have enjoyed in generations.
Since taking charge, De la Fuente has won the 2023 Nations League, Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup. The only major trophy that escaped him was the 2025 Nations League, when Spain lost to Portugal on penalties.
On Monday, beneath Madrid’s intense summer heat at the RFEF’s Ciudad del Fútbol training centre, De la Fuente sat alongside federation president Rafael Louzán and the trophies that tell the story of his rise.
It has been a long way from the spotlight.
A former full-back at Athletic Bilbao, De la Fuente built his coaching career largely away from the pressure of club football. He joined the RFEF in 2013 and gradually worked his way through Spain’s youth teams.
What was once seen as a lack of profile turned out to be one of his biggest advantages.
De la Fuente had already coached many of the players who would later become the backbone of his senior team. Rodri, Unai Simón and Mikel Merino were part of his European Under-19-winning side in 2015. Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo and Fabián Ruiz later won the Under-21 title with him, while Pedri, Martín Zubimendi and Marc Cucurella were part of Spain’s Olympic silver-medal team in Tokyo.
So when De la Fuente took over the senior side in December 2022, following Spain’s disappointing World Cup in Qatar, he was hardly starting from scratch.
He already knew the players, their personalities and, perhaps most importantly, what he could get from them.
During Euro 2024, De la Fuente repeatedly spoke about one word: family.
“During the 2024 Euros, we began to emphasise a word that gave us a great deal of security, confidence and strength — family,” he said on Monday. “We want the Spanish national team to be a family, and that is honestly how we feel.”
But even after everything Spain have achieved, De la Fuente does not see this as the end of the story.
“We are not content with what we have achieved so far,” he said. “The best is yet to come.”
A coach who once had to explain who he was no longer needs an introduction.
Spain have already given him a long-term contract. Now they are trusting him to build what comes next.
