Luis de la Fuente: 'We have the best midfield in the world'
Quick summary
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente declared with 'greatest respect' that Spain possesses the best midfield in world football, likely ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceSpain’s manager answers your questions on advice for Lamine Yamal, the hardest thing about being a coach and how the current team compares to the winners of 2010
“You’ve filtered these, right?” Luis de la Fuente asks, looking at the laptop of your questions on the table in front of him, and cracking up. He takes his seat on the third floor of the Cotton Bowl, Dallas, where Spain have just finished training ahead of their last-16 meeting with Portugal. Some of the players are still out there in the sunshine, in the place where Bebeto rocked the baby in 1994. It is the morning after that Cape Verde performance against Argentina. The World Cup is a creator of memories, pictures in the mind that never go. We all have one, or more.
“Because of what it means for Spain, it has to be [Andrés] Iniesta’s goal,” De la Fuente says. “It’s not very original but that’s the image of the World Cup for us. I would have been at home watching it. I have always been very into the national team. Whenever the Selección played, it was an event at my parents’ house. My parents would watch, my brothers and sisters, people would come round to watch. That’s in Haro, La Rioja. And then as a professional, wherever the game found me, I would watch it. I would enjoy every World Cup game, but especially the Spain ones. There are other images of the World Cup, but that’s the most powerful.”
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What happened
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has publicly stated that his national team has the best midfield in the world. The comments, delivered with characteristic confidence, come amid Spain's preparations and expectations for the 2026 World Cup. The remark also references Lamine Yamal, highlighting the generational talent available to La Roja. The statement serves as both a morale boost and a public declaration of intent from the Spanish federation ahead of the tournament.
Chance analysis
De la Fuente's bold claim carries tactical and psychological weight. With Pedri, Rodri, Gavi, and emerging talents like Lamine Yamal in creative roles, Spain's midfield depth is genuinely elite. Such public confidence from the coach can boost squad morale but also raises expectations and pressure. For prediction systems, this is a signal of internal confidence but doesn't change objective squad assessment.
Reinforces Spain's status as favorites for the 2026 World Cup; likely positive morale effect on the squad with no immediate tactical or availability changes.
Spain manager's public confidence in his midfield signals strong internal belief but does not materially alter match prediction models for upcoming fixtures.