De la Fuente publicly opposes Morocco's wish: he limits the Ballon d'Or to Spain's players

"I notice the absence of Mikel Oyarzabal's name"

Luis de la Fuente, the head coach of Spain, insisted that the Ballon d'Or should go to one of his squad's players, after their crowning as 2026 World Cup winners.

The coach held a press conference today, Thursday, to preview

the UEFA Nations League matches in the coming international break

De la Fuente said: "A Spanish footballer should win the Ballon d'Or this year. I always support national products, especially the (Made in Spain) label."

He continued: "We are at a world-class level in terms of training, performance and quality. And, by the way, I notice the absence of Mikel Oyarzabal's name from the list of nominees. It seems that whoever was responsible for writing down the names dropped the paper and did not include his name."

Turning to another candidate, the coach added: "I believe Lamine Yamal is capable of winning the Ballon d'Or because he is Spanish and a wonderful footballer. If not this year, then in the future. I do not think it will take him long to win it. I see him delivering an outstanding performance at the start of this season, and we want to enjoy his talent for many years to come."

Marcos Llorente has decided to announce his retirement from the Spanish national team. The coach confirmed the player had spoken to him about it, expressing his "absolute respect and gratitude" for a man with whom he shares "a wonderful relationship".

Asked about promising young players such as Carlos Espai and Xavi Espart, De la Fuente said: "They will certainly be there in the future." He added: "There is no need to rush, and we must respect a generation of footballers who have won absolutely everything in the past few years."

He also reaffirmed the necessity of holding the 2030 World Cup final in Spain, and made clear he strongly wishes to coach the national team in that match. He was responding to a question about the ongoing controversy over the venue for that decisive game in the tournament, which Spain, Portugal and Morocco will jointly organise.

Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of the Moroccan federation, had announced that his country would host the 2030 World Cup final.