12 months of success

"I don't want there to be 48 million coaches in Spain. I want there to be 48 million players, who wear the shirt and play for the team". With this firm statement of intent, Luis de la Fuente Castillo introduced himself as the new national coach of Spain on 12 December 2022.

Twelve months on, and ten years after their last success, we have seen 365 days in which everyone’s favourite team has once again won a title, and have managed to dazzle all and sundry with their performances, sealing their ticket to the European Championships with a match to play and, above all, the national team has filled stadiums and won the total support of the fans in matches and training sessions.

It was precisely an open-door training session that inaugurated the red coach's work at the head of the national team on 20 March, with a first victory five days later against Norway in Malaga.

Then, the defeat in Glasgow served as an ideal time to learn in a new era characterised by pushing for ever more success. They did not need to wait long for success which came in the form of the UEFA Nations League trophy, which Spain won spectacularly in June in the Netherlands, beating Modric's Croatia in a final decided from the spot. 

Madrid's WiZink Center was then packed out to celebrate Spain's first title in a decade as a prelude to a near immaculate EURO qualifying campaign that saw the national team string together six consecutive victories.

Having booked their ticket to Germany as top seeds, the draw for the finals in Hamburg this December capped a magical year for Luis de la Fuente, who in 2024 will still be calling on 48 million Spaniards to continue cheering on their team and wear their red shirts with pride.        

SPANISH SENIOR NATIONAL TEAM DEBUTANTS IN 2023