Born in Haro in the region of La Rioja, a town more accustomed to producing vintage wines than great footballers, De la Fuente took over from Luis Enrique shortly after the Qatar World Cup that saw Spain eliminated on penalties in the last 16.
The previous eight years had seen him in charge of hugely successful under-19, under-21 and under-23 sides.
He was not technically a Basque, but close enough to being one to the extent he was considered eligible to play for Athletic Bilbao for nine years between 1976 and 1987 and then again from 1991-1993.
Not everyone was convinced he was the right choice and defeat by Scotland in the European qualifiers in only his second match seemed to confirm their reservations. But just three months later, Spain lifted the Nations League trophy after beating Croatia on penalties.
Recently the Spanish Federation announced the renewal of his contract until 2026, to put to bed one of the anomalies created by the recent Luis Rubiales debacle.
In the World Cup celebrations Rubiales, then the country’s football federation president, planted a kiss on the lips of player Jenni Hermoso – a kiss he says was consensual but she says was not.
De la Fuente’s support for the disgraced former Spanish FA president in a meeting of the federation, where Rubiales’ passionate refusal to resign culminated in the Spain boss being among those to give him a standing ovation, was almost certainly not something he will look back on as his finest hour.
His new contract, which was due to expire on 30 June, was finally confirmed 11 days before Spain’s Euro 2024 opener against Croatia on Saturday.
De la Fuente has renewed his contract at a lower rate than he expected after his success at the job, something that has bothered him. In news conferences he often sounds like someone who is asking for more respect and recognition.
His players speak highly of him and only 10 players who participated in the last World Cup make his squad this time around. The only World Cup winner still around is Jesus Navas.
De la Fuente is a democratic leader who likes to listen to assistants and leaders of the group. His preferred formation is 4-2-3-1, but Rodri – the leader of this team on the pitch – likes to play on his own in midfield and that will push Pedri closer to the main striker in a 4-3-3 line up.
While Luis Enrique’s World Cup side was a possession-based team with a surprising lack of alternatives, De la Fuente has insisted on giving his team a variation of solutions.
They can play inside with the likes of Dani Olmo, Pedri and Fabian Ruiz, but also mix it up with game changers such as Lamine Yamal (who will celebrate his 17th birthday on 13 July, the day before the final takes place) and Nico Williams on the flanks. Both will start against Croatia.
