Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has said his team are not satisfied with winning the World Cup and European Championship, as they prepare to face England at Wembley. Speaking after naming his first squad since the World Cup final on 19 July, De la Fuente recounted a conversation with a player immediately after the match.
“As soon as the game finished on 19 July, before anyone had cooled down at all, just two or three minutes after the final, one of the players – and you’ll have to forgive me for not telling you which one, but it was one of those who has been with us for the longest time – came up to me and said: ‘Mister, now what? What’s left to win?’ And I said: ‘Bloody hell, the game against England at Wembley on 26 September.’”
Squad continuity and new faces
At a press conference at Las Rozas, De la Fuente named a largely familiar squad for the Nations League matches. Of the 26 players from the World Cup, only four were left out: Marcos Llorente, who has announced his international retirement; Joan García, who is injured; Borja Iglesias, who is not fully fit; and Gavi, who is suspended for Wembley but could have faced Croatia and Czechia.
Fermín López returns after missing the World Cup through injury, joined by Josep Martínez, Dean Huijsen and Roberto Fernández. Pedro Porro pulled out and was replaced by Iván Fresneda.
“How could there not be continuity with players who are champions of everything?” De la Fuente asked. He noted that the season had not been long enough for others to stake a claim, though Sergio Camello and Carlos Espí competed with Espanyol’s Fernández for the spare striker role.
Insatiable ambition
De la Fuente acknowledged that Spain remain European champions and have also won the Nations League, but stressed that past success does not guarantee future results. “This team won’t stop; it wants more and more, to be the best,” he said. “What we did at the World Cup is not enough to keep us winning games or to beat England. You have to be better. That’s our culture and our mentality, our attitude, so I have no doubts and no worries. We know Spain are the team to beat, we know that it makes things harder, but it motivates us and we’re ready for it. Success is not winning; it is being in a position where you can win. And I would back these players, always. You can follow them to the end of the world.”
The coach also addressed the potential challenge to Unai Simón’s status as No 1, with Inter goalkeeper Martínez having been part of the setup before. De la Fuente said he does not like the new international break comprising four games in 11 days, but he does want to win the Nations League, which he sees as the beginning of a new era for Spain.
De la Fuente’s contract was extended to 2032, a decision he said was discussed in New Jersey. He took over the senior side in 2022 after winning European Championships at under-19 and under-21 level, and has reached every final since.
