Following the signing of a new contract with the Spanish Football Federation through 2032, Spanish national team coach Luis de la Fuente gave an exclusive interview to Cadena SER. Since the interview lasted nearly 42 minutes with numerous questions and answers, this article presents the full interview in multiple parts. This is part four.

After the World Cup, Lamine Yamal said he wasn't fully fit during the tournament, so he didn't perform as he would have liked. Of course, as world champions, he's as happy as anyone else, but from a personal performance perspective, he felt he didn't meet his own expectations. Has he spoken to you about this before, or were you surprised to hear him say it publicly?

Not at all. This shows his desire and ambition very clearly, and it also reflects his attitude when facing difficulties—the drive to improve every day. Nothing more than that. I talk with them a lot, and they know I think the same way. I'm also someone who is never satisfied. Every night before bed, I think about how to do better the next day. This is my attitude toward everything, and it's something I've always tried to pass on to them. I know they think the same way.

So in my view, this is a good thing. It shows he wants to continue developing. God willing, if he stays healthy for the next World Cup, he'll certainly be able to show even more potential.

However, what's important for us is that he played excellently at the World Cup. He matured a great deal, and we've seen he can help the team in many ways, and he did so selflessly. I'm very grateful to him for that, and the whole team feels the same. I believe that in the next four years, we will see a very different Lamine Yamal, and much better than he is now.

I know you're not very interested in this topic and, frankly, I'm not either. But I still have to ask you about the Ballon d'Or because something similar happened in 2010 when Spain won the World Cup, but no Spanish player ultimately won the Ballon d'Or. Of course, there are many different selection criteria, but since you won the World Cup, at least one of the champions should have won it. You said publicly at a press conference a few days ago that one of them should have won it. Would you be disappointed if a Spanish player doesn't win it in the end?

I think a Spanish player should win this award because I've said for a long time that Spanish players are the best in the world in many aspects—whether it's technique, tactics, or other things, including game understanding. They excel in all of them. Players elsewhere rarely have this level of game understanding that Spanish players possess.

Spanish players are nearly perfect players. On that basis, as you just said, they've achieved enough success, and not just this year. Although as far as I know, current selections mostly focus on one season, these players have undeniably been recognized at the professional level for a long time. But it always seems difficult to truly recognize our players.

So we Spanish should support our own players and put what belongs with us in its rightful place. They are the best players. I believe the Ballon d'Or this year should go to a Spanish player.

As for the Yashin Trophy, the three goalkeepers we brought to the World Cup are on the shortlist. Among the 10 nominated goalkeepers, 3 are from the same country and all three went to the World Cup. This is unique. We always say that among the world's top 5 goalkeepers, at least 3 are Spanish.

Now the list proves it.

Yes, Spanish players absolutely should be there.

If you were still a player, would you campaign for yourself to win the Ballon d'Or?

As a player?

Yes, as a player, or now as a coach.

No. If I were a player, there's no way they would give me the Ballon d'Or.

Even Roberto Carlos never won it back then.

Of course not.

I mean, would you say publicly, "I deserve the Ballon d'Or"?

I see what you mean. I think it still depends on the specific context and background in which he speaks. If you're talking about Lamine Yamal, I think he's simply expressing that he feels he performed well enough and has the qualities to compete. At the same time, he also mentioned and acknowledged another outstanding player, Kylian Mbappé. I think they are two players with different characteristics. In the coming years, while respecting other outstanding players, they will certainly be in very important positions. Look, Vinícius is having an outstanding season right now.

My goodness, really.

Vinícius Júnior is also an excellent player, and Jude Bellingham and many others; there are many outstanding players in the world. Julián Álvarez is also very good. So when you think about it, for a player to say he believes he performed well enough and has the qualities to win the Ballon d'Or, I don't think that's disrespecting anyone. That's my understanding.

You said the other day that you'd be happy as long as a Spanish player won it, right? But if you had to choose between Rodri and Lamine Yamal...

No, no, there's also Fabián Ruiz.

Yes, Fabián Ruiz.

We always forget about Fabián Ruiz. See, we almost forgot him again. The other day I also said I was sorry Mikel Oyarzabal wasn't on the list. I hope he at least makes the final 30.

Pedri also didn't make the 30, and there are others too.

Yes, I mentioned Oyarzabal because people should be aware of the talent, performance, and achievements of such outstanding players at least. He's still the top scorer for this Spanish national team that made history by winning the World Cup. These things should be recognized at least. Whether he ultimately wins an award is another matter, but at the very least people should acknowledge that "this player's achievements deserve recognition."

As for Pedri not being selected, I was quite surprised as well. But getting back to those on the shortlist, I support any of them. Don't try to make me choose one right now. I don't want to get involved in that kind of selection because it's not really important. If any one of them wins, I'll be very happy.

I was especially happy when Rodri won the Ballon d'Or recently. I was at the ceremony. Seeing him celebrate winning the Ballon d'Or there, that feeling of joy was really strong. And Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy, which is the award for the best young player. For me, all these things are very important.

Related articles:

De la Fuente: Being in this position today is not because of luck, but because of my effort

De la Fuente: Spain is still far from the limit; we still have much room to grow

De la Fuente: La Liga is the best league in the world; team interests must always come first when selecting players

แปลโดย AI

เว็บไซต์ AF เปิดตัวแล้ว! ดูข่าว ความคิดเห็น รายละเอียดแมตช์ และสถิติครบถ้วนบนคอมพิวเตอร์ของคุณ เยี่ยมชม: www.allfootballapp.com