De la Fuente refuses to describe Ronaldo's farewell as bitter and offers advice to Yamal on becoming a legend

The Spanish coach predicts a new duo in the standing of Messi and Ronaldo

Luis de la Fuente has revealed the advice he is handing Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, hoping to keep the teenager developing until he reaches the status of football's legends. The Spain head coach also praised the youngster's ability to handle pressure despite his tender age.

In an interview with the Spanish news agency "EFE", De la Fuente expressed his deep admiration for what Argentina's Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo have given world football, considering them an example to follow in terms of performance, behaviour and sportsmanship.

Both stars have now stepped away from international duty, and the Spain coach was glowing in his assessment. "I am one of their biggest admirers, especially of the values and principles they have brought to the world of sport and to society in general," he said. "They have been an example to follow in football."

He added, as highlighted by the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo": "Two players who achieved everything, yet they kept wanting to win, one at the age of 39 and the other at the age of 41. They have been a model of performance, behaviour and sportsmanship."

Would he call the end of Ronaldo's international career a bitter farewell, given the tension with coach Jorge Jesus and the forward's departure from the national team camp during the previous international break? De la Fuente was blunt. "No, not at all."

A new generation will carry the banner of football after Messi and Ronaldo, the Spanish manager believes, pointing to France's Kylian Mbappé, the Real Madrid forward, and Lamine Yamal, the Barcelona star.

"They will create an era in football," he said. "I am sure of that."

Having more than one star at the top of the game is in football's interest, De la Fuente stressed. "It is very good for football that there is not just one star who is the point of reference for everyone," he explained. "There should be two or three players who are a source of inspiration, who create an atmosphere of enjoyment and following, and who embody the essence of sport, which is competition, something that must always remain healthy."

So what counsel can he offer Lamine Yamal to help him reach the top? The Spain coach stressed that the young star has a maturity beyond his years, but that he still needs support and protection given the pressures surrounding him.

"He is a young man who is very mature for his age, but he needs us to support him, like any young man of his age who is still in the formative stage," he said. "He is aware of that, because in private settings he shows you the maturity I am talking about, but he also needs to protect and defend himself away from those settings, in the face of everything around him."

He continued: "I admire him, because a young man of nineteen who bears the media pressure he has faced since he was sixteen, that is not easy at all. It is very difficult, but he handles it with remarkable naturalness."

His parting message was simple. "What we must tell him is to keep growing, developing and working the way he is performing now. In this way, all the doors will remain open for him to become a legendary footballer."

De la Fuente, 65, also spoke about winning the award for the world's best coach, which he collected during the Ballon d'Or ceremony on 26 October. His first match since being crowned comes against the Czech Republic in Prague on Thursday.

The Spanish coach had renewed his contract until 2032 at the end of last September. He confirmed his delight at the award, though he insisted that merely being nominated would have given him the same feeling of pride.

"I am happy, but I am not someone who has many dreams, and I do not consider myself a dreamer," he said. "I am a man who sets goals and moves towards them step by step. I do not feel that the award is a burden on me, because I am always working to get closer to achieving more development."

He added: "As much as it has made me happy, what makes me happier, believe me, is that it is not an individual honour but a collective one," praising the efforts of his coaching staff.

Spain have now gone 42 consecutive matches without defeat since March 2024, and their coach called the figure "crazy" and "unbelievable". Even so, he insisted the team's ambition does not stop there.

"Our goal is to keep developing from one match to the next, as we are a very ambitious team," he explained. "In football, as soon as you relax even a little, your opponent punishes you with a win. And this applies even more at national team level."

He continued: "Many do not realise the scale of the competition that exists. At club level, there may be big gaps between the best teams of some countries and others, but these gaps shrink considerably at national team level."

Spanish football now commands real admiration, De la Fuente noted, with the national team crowned world champions for a second time last summer, alongside the successes of the youth teams and the individual awards won by the players in recent weeks.

"I think others feel envy, and more importantly curiosity to know what Spain has been doing for many years to reach this distinguished level, whether at club or national team level, as well as at the individual level," he said.

His final word revealed what he sees as the secret of Spanish football's success. "I simply advise them to invest in formation and coaching, that is the secret."