De la Fuente eases Spain concerns over Yamal and Porro's fitness
Spain walked off the pitch in Munich with a World Cup final secured and one nagging question hanging in the air: was Lamine Yamal hurt?
The 16-year-old phenomenon limped at times during the 2-0 semi-final win over France, a sight that sent a jolt through a nation already dreaming of Sunday. Luis de la Fuente moved quickly to shut down the anxiety.
“Lamine doesn't have anything that I know of. I've spoken with the doctors now,” the Spain coach said after the game, offering the reassurance every Spanish fan wanted to hear as La Roja turn their attention to the final.
The bigger concern, at least for now, is Pedro Porro. The Tottenham defender, who started again on the right, was forced off in the 85th minute and replaced by Marcos Llorente. De la Fuente revealed Porro is being monitored for a muscle issue.
“Pedro Porro seems to have overuse injuries, but we'll see tomorrow,” he explained, making clear that the medical staff will need more time before giving a definitive verdict.
Pride in a statement win
In the glow of a victory over the 2018 world champions that felt like a changing of the guard, De la Fuente’s tone mixed pride with a stubborn refusal to get carried away.
This, he insisted, was not a fluke, not a one-off performance against a heavyweight. It was the product of years of work inside the Spanish system and the daily grind of his current squad.
“I'm surprised by what this team is capable of, and the room for improvement is endless,” he said. “This isn't by chance: it's talent, hard work, sacrifice, perseverance, and we knew we had to keep improving little by little throughout the tournament.”
Spain did not sweep through the group stage perfectly, and De la Fuente even allowed himself a small regret.
“We would have liked to win the first match, because we would have broken another record,” he admitted. “But we're in fantastic form, both in terms of our football and our physical condition.”
The message was clear: this team is not peaking early. It is still climbing.
“The best at understanding the game”
De la Fuente did not shy away from a bold claim. In his eyes, Spain’s players now sit at the summit of international football.
“For me, Spanish footballers are the best at understanding the game in the world, and that's an achievement of Spanish coaches and clubs,” he said, a line that will resonate from grassroots academies to the federation’s headquarters.
He stressed, though, that satisfaction is not the same as complacency.
“We're happy, but we're not satisfied with this,” he added. The semi-final was a statement, not the destination.
What comes next, he knows, is the real examination.
“What's coming is more difficult, and we're eager to play the final. But the final is meant to be played; I'm not one for literary phrases. How could you not be happy to play in a final! Whether you win it or not... there's an opponent.”
It was a reminder that this Spain side is being built on process as much as on glory. De la Fuente talked about the journey with the conviction of a coach who believes it is his team’s greatest weapon.
“I greatly value the journey, and that's what makes us very strong and allows us to appreciate what we achieve,” he said.
A call from the king, and a country on edge
If anyone needed a symbol of what this run means back home, it came from the very top. King Felipe VI called the dressing room to congratulate the squad, underlining the scale of the moment for a country that still measures itself against 2010.
“It is a great honor that our king calls us, cares about us, and constantly encourages us,” De la Fuente revealed. “To be the architects of the joy of a country so devoted in the streets, with a generation that has a commendable attitude.”
Spain now wait to discover whether England or Argentina will stand between them and another star on the shirt. The celebrations in Munich were real, but the coach’s words cut through the noise.
“Let's enjoy it, the hardest step is still to come, we have to improve and that's what we're working on.”
Yamal is expected to be ready. Porro’s situation will become clearer in the coming days. The final looms, the country holds its breath, and De la Fuente’s Spain march on believing the toughest – and perhaps the most glorious – chapter is still unwritten.
