De la Fuente reassures Spain on Yamal injury ahead of final
Spain woke up with a final to look forward to and one major worry eased. Lamine Yamal, the teenager who has lit up this World Cup, did not suffer a serious injury in the 2-0 semi-final win over France.
He limped. He grimaced. Cameras caught every step. But Luis de la Fuente walked into his post-match press conference armed with reassurance.
“Lamine doesn't have anything that I know of. I've spoken with the doctors now,” the Spain coach said, making clear that early medical reports are positive as La Roja turn towards Sunday’s final.
Porro a doubt after muscle issue
If Yamal’s situation brought relief, Pedro Porro’s did the opposite. The Tottenham defender, who has grown into a key figure in this Spain side, had to come off in the 85th minute, replaced by Marcos Llorente, and is now being monitored for a muscle strain.
“Pedro Porro seems to have overuse injuries, but we'll see tomorrow,” De la Fuente explained.
Spain’s staff will tread carefully. At this stage of a tournament, one training session can decide whether a player makes a final or watches it in a bib.
A statement win, not a surprise
On the pitch, Spain did far more than edge past the 2018 world champions. They controlled, they pressed, they out-thought and out-ran France. De la Fuente’s pride in the performance was unmistakable, and he was adamant this was no accident.
“This isn't by chance: it's talent, hard work, sacrifice, perseverance,” he said, underlining a belief that this run is the product of years of work in the Spanish system and the daily standards of his squad.
The coach spoke of a team that has been growing with every game, not riding a wave of luck.
“We knew we had to keep improving little by little throughout the tournament,” he added. “We would have liked to win the first match, because we would have broken another record, but we're in fantastic form, both in terms of our football and our physical condition.”
A team at the summit – but not satisfied
De la Fuente did not hide his admiration for his players. In his eyes, they have reached the summit of the international game, not just in results but in how they understand 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. That line was not delivered as a boast, more as a statement of identity, a reminder of what Spain believe they stand for.
Yet he refused to treat the semi-final as a destination. The rhetoric around Spain has shifted – from dark horses to favourites, from hope to expectation – but the coach kept dragging the conversation back to process and the one step still ahead.
“We're happy, but we're not satisfied with this,” he insisted. “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.”
That last point matters. Spain have dazzled, but De la Fuente is determined his squad stay anchored in reality: finals are not won on reputation, or on what people say in the build-up, but on the 90 minutes – or 120 – that follow.
He framed it in terms of the journey rather than the trophy lift.
“I greatly value the journey, and that's what makes us very strong and allows us to appreciate what we achieve.”
A call from the king
If anyone needed a measure of what this run means back home, it came from the very top. King Felipe VI picked up the phone to congratulate the squad, a gesture that underlined the scale of Spain’s achievement and the mood on the streets.
“It is a great honor that our king calls us, cares about us, and constantly encourages us,” De la Fuente said. “To be the architects of the joy of a country so devoted in the streets, with a generation that has a commendable attitude.”
The coach wants his players to enjoy that connection, to feel the country behind them, but not to lose sight of the task.
“Let's enjoy it, the hardest step is still to come, we have to improve and that's what we're working on.”
England or Argentina await in the final. Spain have the swagger of 2010 and the energy of something new. The injuries, the tactics, the pressure – all of it now funnels into one last game that will define how this team is remembered.
