Some time after winning the European Championship, Spain national team coach Luis de la Fuente gave an exclusive interview to Marca, sharing his feelings and thoughts.
Speaking about his feelings after winning the championship, De la Fuente said: “I feel excited, thank you to all of Spain. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and the way we’ve achieved it.” He emphasized the importance of teamwork, “The key to success is what I’ve always stressed: hard work, hard work, and more hard work. Without this spirit from the entire team, we wouldn’t have achieved this.”
Regarding the public’s change in attitude towards him, De la Fuente responded: “The media has a great impact. I’ve always felt recognized. Wherever I’ve gone, people have treated me well. Now, if I go to some places I don’t usually go, I feel that affection.” He specifically mentioned the public’s sense of participation, “What I value most is that in these congratulations, I feel people’s involvement in this achievement. As a nation, a hope, with that spirit that I call the 2010 spirit…seeing people happy and proud of what we have achieved is what gives me the most satisfaction.”
Regarding when he realized he could win the European Championship, De la Fuente said: “From the beginning. That feeling was conveyed to the entire team. We felt like contenders, we had the ability to do it like anyone else.” He added, “It’s not just a charming image, it’s knowing how to compete. You can’t understand important achievements without pain. That’s the essence of sports.”
Speaking about the challenge of Germany, De la Fuente admitted: “The situation was: they were behind, the game was entering the final stages, playing at home, their direct playing style was very threatening…Of course, we knew it would be tough. But overall, the feeling was that we were in control of the game, playing the way we should.”
Looking to the future, De la Fuente revealed: “This is the beauty of this profession, as a coach, after the game you start thinking about the next one. It would be unfair if I didn’t enjoy celebrating in Madrid and all of Spain. After the celebrations, we start planning for the summer, the games in August…never stop.”
About the future of the team, De la Fuente is confident: “We’ve created a great team because there are many excellent players. This is not just an empty phrase, I have an advantage: everyone knows their profession, and I’m dedicated to understanding world football, as well as my coaching team, because we’re all workaholics, we know that Spain has raw materials that other countries don’t have, which makes us believe that the future is bright.”
Regarding the growth of young player, Gavi, De la Fuente pointed out: “He has been well accompanied by the veterans. We told him to stay calm, to be patient, because this is very Man City, because those who praise you and put you on a pedestal are also the ones who don’t hesitate to say the opposite. That’s reality. He needs to mature, even though he’s already mature for his age. More mature than other kids. These experiences help him grow.”
When reflecting on the moment of victory, De la Fuente’s thoughts went to: “Those who weren’t there. It’s always like that. My parents and my brother.”
De la Fuente revealed that he received a lot of congratulatory messages, “Many. Over 3,000. I haven’t had time to reply to everyone yet.”
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