“Sergio Ramos knows the affection I have for him, I am a fervent admirer of what he represents pBut I’m sure you understand why I’ve made this decision, because he’s a soccer professional and a great teammate.”. This is how Luis De la Fuente justified the absence of Ramos in the call for the Tokyo Games, in the summer of last year. The pressure from the media and from the environment for the camero to integrate the Olympic team had been tremendous, but the already national coach did not give in De La Fuente considered, without fuss, that the call should be made up of young people who had qualified for the Games. And, with Brazil as the executioner in the final, Spain achieved a meritorious Silver.
Luis de la Fuente (Haro, La Rioja, 1961) He knows quite a few of the footballers who make up La Roja’s first team today, of those Olympic Games and other adventures with the Spanish National Team, in whose lower categories he began to work in 2013. Asensio, who scored the goal against Japan that led Spain to the final, Unai Simón, Eric García, Pau Torres, Pedri, Carlos Soler and Dani Olmo They were among those called for the Tokyo meeting. Hugo Guillamón and Yeremy Pino They were already part of the Under-21 then. Balde was rescued by Luis Enrique after Gayà’s injury from De la Fuente’s last call-up, which has also recently included Nico Williams and Ferran Torres.
players like Oyarzabal and Mikel Merino, who were left on the verge of going to Qatar, were also basic pillars in several champion teams that the La Rioja coach put together. In 2015 he won the European Championship with the Under-15s. Rodri, Unai Simón, Asensio and Merino were on that champion team. Most of them were also part of the Under-21 team that triumphed in 2019 and also included Carlos Soler and Dani Olmo.
With De la Fuente, therefore, a smooth transition will take place in La Roja. A coach who Also bet on the famous tiqui-taca, but whose teams have always enjoyed alternatives, both with deep play on the wings as with the verticality and the support in resources like the direct ball to the center forward and mid-distance shots. The Federation has a lot of confidence in him.
