Luis de la Fuente chose to celebrate extending his contract with the Royal Spanish Football Federation through 2032 in his own style, asserting his worthiness for the world’s best manager award while directly addressing the refereeing controversy ignited by José Mourinho following the Madrid Derby.
The Spain manager relies on an exceptional four-year track record that includes the UEFA Nations League, UEFA Euro 2024, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup—alongside appearing in three major finals and winning every single one.
Addressing the Ballon d’Or award for best manager, De la Fuente stated: “The winner should be Spanish. And if you ask me whether I deserve it, I believe I have demonstrated enough merit.”
He added: “With clubs, you can win two or three titles a season, but the dynamic is different with national teams because you only have one major tournament of that scale each year. I won the World Cup, so I will leave it to you and say no more.”
The manager also boasts a 38-match unbeaten streak spanning two and a half years, figures that allow him to speak with total conviction regarding his place among the elite, while formally leaving the final voting outcome to the electors.
Turning to Mourinho’s comments on the derby officials, De la Fuente remarked: “I do not approach life or sport with that mentality. I have had to lose many times, and I never once thought a hidden hand was controlling outcomes.”
He continued: “When you lose, you must look at what you can improve. If I truly believed the competition was being manipulated, I would go home immediately, because continuing under those terms would make no sense.”
While acknowledging that video assistant referees and match officials make mistakes, he firmly rejected framing errors as evidence of a conspiracy, stating: “I have always defended refereeing, and I have watched nearly 200 matches across the globe. Spanish referees are among the absolute best, and to me, they are the best.”
