Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was interviewed by Domingo García of La Razón newspaper ahead of Spain's UEFA Nations League match against England. The coach discussed his life after winning the trophy, his mother's influence, and his views on players like Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres, who scored in the final. This article is the first part of the interview.

Part Two of the Interview

De la Fuente: Yamal has all the qualities needed to become a legend. He handles pressure with ease

Luis, what has changed since becoming World Champion? Has your life changed?

De la Fuente: Fundamentally, nothing has changed. I continue working the same way I always have. My thoughts remain the same. There are always areas where we can improve, so we continue to strive. However, we're beginning to understand what we've accomplished, though not entirely. This brings me great joy and satisfaction.

That's what I'm trying to ask you. How long does it take a person to truly understand the achievements of others?

I think it will take longer. But now, seeing people's reactions in the streets, I'm gradually realizing how important this achievement is. I travel frequently and visit many places. I see how happy people are, how excited they are, how full of hope and intense emotion. That's when I began to understand that we've accomplished something truly important. However, I still haven't fully grasped the magnitude of it all.

Can people let you walk down the street calmly now?

That's changed completely. People are so enthusiastic now, and they want to show their affection for me wherever they meet me. What surprises me most is their gratitude. It's very common for someone to come up to me and say "Thank you." I tell them: "Shouldn't I be thanking you? Thank you for your love. Thank you for your support. Thank you for lifting us up at every step." I thank all of Spain, the entire nation. But I feel our fans deserve our gratitude for bringing us joy. So life on the street has truly changed for me. People are so excited that I can't walk around as freely as before.

How many unread WhatsApp messages did you receive after the final?

To be honest, I still have thousands of unread messages. Nearly three thousand, I'd say. I've tried to reply to as many as possible. Unfortunately, I think there are some I'll never be able to answer.

I enjoy connecting with people and greatly value human relationships. I have many friends and many people who care about me. They send me messages almost daily.

How many events have you been invited to since becoming World Champion? How many invitations would you like to accept?

That brings me great satisfaction, honor, and joy. We've received so many invitations from all over Spain for various events that we simply don't have time to attend them all.

You might think, "Wow, how much to be proud of," but we can't accept every invitation. I try to attend as many as possible. The reason is that connecting with the fans and those who experienced this victory so intensely is part of my responsibility, part of my job. Whenever circumstances allow, I want to attend every event I'm invited to.

You mentioned people earlier. A few days ago, when your contract extension was announced, Lozano said that the end result depends on the people you choose. Is selecting the right people the most important part of your job?

Yes, absolutely. I'd say it's the most important part. Because we need to choose people who are both professionally qualified and morally sound. That's difficult. It's truly hard to decide until you really know them. Now, fortunately, I have so many people around me who meet these requirements that my choices aren't as difficult anymore.

Now that you're World Champion, you also have the Nations League and European Championship wins. Looking back, how do you view that initial three-month contract after your eighteen-month spell without work with the Federation?

I remember that experience fondly. It provided the foundation for making future decisions and was a life lesson. I believe life is a continuous learning process. I've always said I never stop learning, and I still have the ability and desire to continue. I humbly acknowledge that there are many areas where I can improve.

That experience was an invaluable lesson because it kept me grounded. Life isn't all good or all bad. But when facing difficult times, you must have resilience, perseverance, keep your head up, fall down and get back up repeatedly, and keep moving forward. Many people do this. I was one of them. But that experience helped me truly appreciate what matters in life. It wasn't "maybe possible"—it was "absolutely certain."

Did faith help you during that time?

It helped me tremendously. And it continues to help me every day. Every morning when I wake up, I thank God for my health, for the strength to keep facing life, to keep fighting, to continue enjoying happy moments.

Faith gives me the peace and stability needed to make decisions. Some decisions are very important, but based on my genuine beliefs, with honesty and integrity, I can make them calmly.

In your book, you mentioned living two different lives at one point, and that faith distinguished between two stages of your life. How did faith transform you?

I've always been a person of faith. Born into a Catholic family, faith has always been part of me. However, there have been times in life when I drifted slightly, moments when I lost my way temporarily. I always had faith, but there was a period when I strayed in certain areas of life.

During that time, I prioritized some things over faith—loyalty, fidelity, and other matters. Later, certain experiences made me reconsider my life and realize, "Wait, that's not right." Fortunately, I have wonderful parents and siblings in a remarkable family. They were always there, guiding me like a conscience, trying to direct me. But you can only make truly important decisions when you truly understand yourself, when you fall and get back up repeatedly, when you start making informed choices with dignity and sincerity. Nothing teaches like your own experience. Thank God, I've had many good times and difficult times. They've all taught me so much.

For players, especially young ones today, it's very easy to lose their way. They gain money and fame young, but lack experience in managing these things.

That's true. But I received guidance from an early age. That person was my mother. My father also guided me, but he was always at sea, often away from home for long periods—sometimes up to eighteen months a year. He'd return for a month and then leave again for a year. So my mother had to do his work as well. She did everything.

When people talk about humility, arrogance, and life's inequalities, I always remember how my mother taught me my place early on. Yes, and later in life, I had to keep things in proper perspective.

When I was nineteen and started playing in La Liga, I bought a very expensive car. That year, when I returned to my hometown of Haro for the local festival, my mother saw me drive up in that car. The first thing she did was say, "Come here, sit down for a moment." She had me sit on the sofa and said, "Listen to me, Luis."

My mother's name is Berta. She's very well-known in our town, and everyone loves her, affectionately calling her "Berti." In a small place like that, everyone would say "Berti."

She said to me, "Son, sit here and listen to what your mother has to say. Here, you're not de la Fuente—you're Berti's son." I replied, "Yes, mother, I understand."

I went outside and drove the car into the garage. She wanted to tell me something, and I understood what it was. When someone teaches you your place early and helps you keep things organized, you have a foundation for making future decisions. Those decisions may or may not be right, but that moment provided the foundation that made me who I am today.

AI ဘာသာပြန်ဆိုသည်။

AF ၏ PC ဝဘ်ဆိုက် စတင်ထွက်ရှိပြီ! သင့်ကွန်ပျူတာမှ သတင်းများ၊ မှတ်ချက်များ၊ ပွဲစဉ်အသေးစိတ်နှင့် စာရင်းဇယားများကြည့်ရှုနိုင်သည်။ ဝင်ရောက်ရန်: www.allfootballapp.com