Spain national team coach Luis de la Fuente and goalkeeper Unai Simón claimed the Coach of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year honors at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, Nieuwsblad reported, capping a dominant international cycle that culminated in a World Cup triumph.
The Triumphs of De la Fuente and Simón
Luis de la Fuente collected the Coach of the Year trophy after steering Spain to victory at the World Cup hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. VoetbalPrimeur.be noted that the Spanish national team manager secured the accolade by deploying a new, youthful generation of players to capture the global crown, defeating competition that included Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany, Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery, and Luis Enrique.
Before the coaching winner was announced on Monday evening in London, former French international Thierry Henry acknowledged the absent Belgian coach during the candidate introductions. “We wensen Vincent Kompany een spoedig herstel toe,” Henry stated regarding the Bayern boss, who remained hospitalized and unable to attend the gala, as reported by VoetbalPrimeur.be. Kompany later received a warm message from Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane during his acceptance speech, with Kane saying, “I hope this gives you a bit of energy at home,” according to HBVL.
In the goalkeeping ranks, Unai Simón edged out competitors to win Goalkeeper of the Year, according to HBVL. Simón secured the honor after winning the starting battle with David Raya and Joan García for the Spanish national team before anchoring their run to the world title.
Global Honors in London
The ceremony in London brought together individual awards across the men’s and women’s game. HBVL reported that Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane claimed the men’s Ballon d’Or trophy after scoring 73 goals across 65 matches, receiving the award from Brazilian legend Ronaldo. On the women’s side, Alèxia Putellas secured her third career Ballon d’Or, adding to her previous wins in 2021 and 2022 following her summer transfer from Barcelona to London City Lionesses.
Additional category winners included Barcelona’s Pere Romeu, who earned Women’s Coach of the Year after capturing the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and Cata Coll, who won the women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award, as detailed by HBVL. Young talents also featured prominently as Lamine Yamal and Vicky López won the respective men’s and women’s Talent of the Year honors, while Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award for his charitable work with underprivileged children.
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