De la Fuente: Collective success makes us unbeatable, and this is the secret to my success

Luis de la Fuente, the head coach of the Spain national team, has been awarded the Best Coach of 2026, claiming the trophy named after Johan Cruyff.

De la Fuente said while receiving the award in London: "Winning this award is a great honor, and being among the nominees is an award in itself, and I would like to congratulate the other nominees."

He added: "It is an award for a group, for a great team, and for the players I am honoured to coach, and for a coaching staff that is the best in the world."

De la Fuente thanked the Spanish Football Federation and its officials, saying: "I would like to thank the Spanish Federation, and Luis Rubiales, the sporting director, as well as my agency." He also expressed gratitude to his family, adding: "I want to conclude my remarks by thanking my family for this award, for those who are present and for those who are no longer with us."

He continued his speech with a quote from the Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius, saying: "Individual success makes us visible, while collective success makes us invincible."

In discussing the reasons for his success, De la Fuente emphasized the role of the players, stating: "The secret is having a group that puts the collective interest above the individual interest, and the players have executed this idea much better than I expected, and this success belongs to them."

He added: "I am lucky to lead a team that has this quality, both on a sporting and a human level."