De la Fuente celebrates Spain’s World Cup win with AS: “When Ferran scored, I felt as close to pure happiness as anyone can get”
Luis de la Fuente paid a visit to AS on Thursday, parading the trophy that he and Spain won in Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina.
The World Cup made its way through the doors of the AS newsroom on Thursday. It was brought in by Luis de la Fuente, the man who guided Spain’s men’s national team to the summit of global soccer and who chose AS for his first visit to a media outlet since lifting the trophy just four days ago. A champion and a trophy that are now etched into the history of Spanish sport. “Some of my staff are already asking me for the next one,” De la Fuente said with a laugh as he stepped into the newsroom. “There’s been suffering along the way, but when that suffering comes with hard work and excitement, it doesn’t really feel like suffering.”
“Happy for the country”
De la Fuente’s arrival turned the newsroom into a place of celebration. The World Cup drew every eye, but so did the man carrying it. Amid applause, handshakes and photos, the Spain head coach spent time with the AS staff in a relaxed atmosphere defined by the satisfaction of a job well done and pride in another landmark achievement for Spanish soccer. “I try to be fair when I see criticism that comes with bad intentions,” he said. “Life has a way of giving people opportunities, and that’s why I’m especially happy for Ferran [Torres]. His story reminds me of [Álvaro] Morata’s. Faced with unfair criticism, he’s responded by saying: ‘Here I am.’”
With the easygoing manner that has become one of his trademarks, De la Fuente spoke with AS reporters, posed alongside the trophy and toured the newsroom, where conversation naturally turned to Spain’s road to the title and the significance of a championship that once again places the country at the pinnacle of the game. “The atmosphere within the group was fantastic, and that’s what happens when you have good people,” he said. “When Ferran scored, I felt as close to pure happiness as anyone can get. Then, when I lifted the trophy, I was just so pleased, satisfied and proud. And happy for the country.”
“We knew we were going to compete”
The journey to World Cup glory was that of a team that grew under the conviction of its head coach. De la Fuente climbed through the ranks of the Spanish Soccer Federation one step at a time, winning European titles and Olympic medals at youth level while helping develop much of the generation that now sits atop the world game. With this triumph, he completed a career path built without shortcuts. The World Cup represents the peak of years of work, faith in an idea and a vision of soccer that has ultimately been rewarded with the sport’s greatest prize. “I haven’t needed to watch the final again,” he said, “but my feeling was that we were clearly the better team. Four years ago, when I last visited here, I couldn’t have imagined how far we’d come. But you build the journey one step at a time. With the players we had, we knew we were going to compete.”
The visit also produced a symbolic image: a world champion sharing his success with AS before any other media outlet. A gesture that strengthens the bond between the Spain coach and this newspaper, on a day that will be remembered for years to come. The champion’s first media stop was AS. And for a few minutes, soccer’s most coveted trophy found a home in the house of sport.
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