Luis de la Fuente named best coach at Ballon d'Or gala: how the World Cup changed his life

Luis de la Fuente received the best coach of the year award on Monday at the Ballon d'Or gala, a recognition that comes three weeks after he guided the Spanish national team to their second World Cup title. The tournament victory has catapulted his profile, turning him into one of the most recognizable figures in Spanish sport and drawing a level of attention that those close to him describe with amazement.

• Luis de la Fuente was chosen as the best coach of the year at Monday's Ballon d'Or gala.
• The award comes three weeks after Spain won the 2026 World Cup under his management.
• The Spain boss is enjoying a surge in popularity that his inner circle compares to that of a rock star.
• In 2012, after being sacked by Alavés, he spent months out of work while observing Marcelo Bielsa's training sessions at Lezama.

De la Fuente honored at the Ballon d'Or as coach of the year

The recognition at the Ballon d'Or gala places De la Fuente at the summit of his coaching career. The award celebrates a season in which Spain lifted the World Cup, a feat no other international manager matched during the period under consideration. The prize validates not only the Riojan coach's tactical work but also his handling of a dressing room that has responded to his approach with results.

The ceremony, which brings together the biggest names in world football, also underscored De la Fuente's new status. Once a low-profile figure far from the spotlight, the Spain coach has moved to a central role in international football events, with his presence increasingly sought after by sponsors, media and fans.

The Spain manager's soaring popularity after the 2026 World Cup

The World Cup triumph has completely transformed De la Fuente's daily life. Scenes of spontaneous recognition in the street have multiplied since the final, and his inner circle describes situations that border on the unusual for a football coach. The public's reaction when they identify him is reminiscent, according to those who accompany him, of the response a music celebrity might generate.

When people realize it's him, they lose their minds; like a rock star

That popularity stands in stark contrast to the discretion that has always defined the coach. De la Fuente built his career away from media noise, first in youth football and later in first and second division dugouts. The World Cup has broken down that barrier and placed him in a level of exposure that, according to the same sources, he is still coming to terms with.

Months without a job after Alavés and the lessons learned from Bielsa

Before reaching the summit of world football, De la Fuente went through a period of professional uncertainty that left a mark on his career. Alavés dismissed him in the autumn of 2012, shortly after the start of the season, and the coach endured weeks of unemployment with growing concern. The hope of receiving a phone call that would return him to the dugout renewed itself every month without materializing.

Far from giving up, the coach used that time to keep learning. He regularly attended the Lezama training ground, where Marcelo Bielsa was in charge of Athletic Club, and devoted himself to observing and recording the Argentine's work for five or six months. That experience, as he has recounted, allowed him to build a valuable archive of sessions and concepts that he would later apply in his own methodology.

The reunion with Bielsa at the 2026 World Cup

The bond formed at Lezama gained a new chapter during the 2026 World Cup, when fate placed De la Fuente and Bielsa in opposite dugouts. The Argentine was managing Uruguay, and the clash between the two national teams was viewed as a duel between master and pupil. The tie pitted two coaches against each other whose relationship had been forged during that learning period in Bilbao.

De la Fuente has not hidden the influence the Argentine coach has had on his understanding of football. The hours of observation at Lezama, far from being a mere pastime during unemployment, became over the years the foundation for a career that now reaches global recognition.

What the Ballon d'Or means for De la Fuente's career

The award received on Monday cements De la Fuente's prestige beyond Spanish borders. The prize, handed out at one of the most followed ceremonies in world football, places the Riojan coach in a select list of managers recognized for excellence at international level. For the Spanish federation, the recognition also backs the continuity of a project that has returned the national team to the elite.

De la Fuente's trajectory, from humble dugouts in Spanish football to global recognition, illustrates a path rarely seen among elite coaches. His story includes formative years in youth categories, professional setbacks such as the one experienced in Vitoria, and a perseverance that, in light of the results, has ultimately proven him right.

Frequently asked questions about Luis de la Fuente and the Ballon d'Or