Luis de la Fuente Becomes the Second Longest-Serving Coach of the Spanish National Team

A new record is on the horizon for Luis de la Fuente following his renewal

A record in Luis de la Fuente's sights

Luis de la Fuente takes on a new challenge starting this Monday after renewing his contract until 2032. And that is to become the second coach with the longest tenure in the position, in case he fulfills his entire contract, surpassed only by the Hungarian Ladislao Kubala, who was in charge for almost eleven years.

De la Fuente (Haro, 1961) took the reins of the national team on December 12, 2022, so if he remains in the position until 2032, it will have been 10 years.

The only one who would surpass him would be Kubala, who after wearing the Spain jersey on 19 occasions following his naturalization (1953-1961), was their head coach from October 15, 1969, to June 18, 1980, which amounts to ten years, eight months, and three days.

During that period, the former Barcelona player managed Spain in the World Cup in Argentina, after a twelve-year absence from this championship, where they did not advance past the first round, and in the Euro 1980 in Italy, also eliminated in the group stage.

His record as coach was 68 matches, 36 of them official, with 31 victories and 21 draws. The second in continuity to date is Vicente del Bosque, who led the national team from August 20, 2008, to July 4, 2016, which amounts to seven years, ten months, and fourteen days.

Del Bosque is the coach with the most matches under his belt, with 114, of which 87 were victories and 17 were defeats.

With the former Real Madrid coach, Spanish football experienced a golden era by winning the first World Cup in 2010 in South Africa, and the Euro 2012, the third in the record after those of 1964 and 2008 with Luis Aragonés.

The third in the ranking is Javier Clemente, who spent six years (from September 9, 1992, to September 5, 1998) between his first and last official match - he managed a total of 62 matches - according to the statistics of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

The fourth is Miguel Muñoz, with five years, seven months, and 21 days (from October 27, 1982, to June 17, 1988), and the fifth, José María Mateos, with four years, two months, and four days between 1929 and 1933.

Where De la Fuente is already number one in the ranking is in terms of titles, being the only one with three titles, having accumulated this year's World Cup, the 2024 European Championship, and the 2023 Nations League. EFE