• Luis de la Fuente appointed as new coach of  Spain national team.
• Luis Enrique  was sacked after World Cup defeat by Morocco.
• Albert Luque also confirmed as new sporting director of national side.

During his Monday presentation, new Spain coach Luis de la Fuente defended his hiring in response to claims that he lacked expertise at the highest level.

Since 2013, the 61-year-old has been the coach of Spain’s minor teams, most recently the U23 team. His appointment is valid until after Euro 2024.

De la Fuente takes over for Luis Enrique, who was fired after Spain’s shocking World Cup quarterfinal loss to Morocco. Enrique was the former coach of Barcelona.

In a press conference, De la Fuente stated, “I played professionally for 15 years.”

“In addition to playing for the national team, I was a champion and a young international.

“16 of the players on the Spain World Cup team were my students.

I am the only person in Spain who is aware of both the current and the future of Spanish football.

In the 1980s and 1990s, De la Fuente played left back for Athletic Bilbao, helping the Basque team win two La Liga championships and the Copa del Rey.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, he previously played for Sevilla and Alaves.

The new Spain coach lost the gold medal game to Brazil in extra time to earn silver with the country’s team at the 2020 Olympics.

When asked if he would recall Sergio Ramos, de la Fuente declined to comment on specific players but left open the possibility that the seasoned Paris Saint-Germain defender would receive a recall.

Ramos holds the record for most appearances for Spain with 180 between 2005 and 2021.

De la Fuente stated that “any players in condition are subject to being called up.”

The coach acknowledged accepting the position as soon as it was offered and promised to uphold Spain’s traditional style of play while remaining open to new ideas.

Spain had the most passes attempted at the World Cup with almost 1,000 versus Morocco, but they only managed one shot on goal in the entire 120 minutes, and they were ultimately eliminated on penalties.

De la Fuente continued, “There is one notion and one model that is not debatable.

“It is not incompatible; it adapts to any system. I’ll make an effort to include nuances to get better.

“We’ll make an effort to advance and keep getting better while analysing game modifications.

“We are open to change when it is required; we are not closed off to anything.”

Albert Luque, a former winger for Deportivo La Coruna, has also been named the next sporting director of the national team, taking over for Jose Francisco Molina, who will step down in January.

The outgoing sporting director Molina, Luque, and the president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, all concurred that a new project needed to start, which is why they removed Luis Enrique following their World Cup exit.

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