Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has named one player from a major European footballing nation as the sole opponent he would want to have in his own squad, offering rare praise as Spain continued their dominant run in the UEFA Nations League.
Asked by Sport Bild which player from that country he would like to add to his side, de la Fuente did not hesitate in his answer, though he made clear it was purely wishful thinking given the player’s nationality.
“Florian Wirtz, he is fantastic,” de la Fuente said.
“Unfortunately he does not have a Spanish passport.”
He laughed as he said it, before adding simply, “I like the way he plays.”
The 23-year-old has endured a mixed start to his second season at Liverpool following his €125 million move from Bayer Leverkusen, but de la Fuente’s comments suggest his underlying quality remains widely respected across European football regardless of current club form.
De la Fuente went on to speak at length about his admiration for German football more broadly, name-checking two of the country’s most iconic former players from a golden era decades ago.
“Germany have a great history in world football, shaping it especially in the 1970s at club and national-team level.”
“As a child I used to admire Günter Netzer, an incredible player, when he was at Real Madrid.”
“The dream passes he played were unique.”
“Paul Breitner has also stayed in my memory as a great player.”
He then turned to Germany’s head coach appointment, with Jurgen Klopp who took over from Julian Nagelsmann.
De la Fuente offered measured but genuine respect.
“He is a world-class coach whom unfortunately I have not yet met personally.”
“Of course, you have to differentiate between the work of a club coach and a national coach.”
“There are quite a few differences that he has to get used to.”
“However, I believe he will be able to build a world-class team with top players.”
“But that requires time.”
The comments arrived on the back of another dominant Spain performance, with La Furia Roja beating Croatia 4-1 at home in the Nations League on Tuesday night.
That result extended Spain’s unbeaten run to 40 consecutive matches, a record that, according to Squawka, no national team has previously achieved.
Hungary’s “Golden Team” went unbeaten in competitive matches between 1950 and 1954, but played only 32 games during that stretch, comfortably short of Spain’s current tally.
Lamine Yamal scored twice against Croatia, prompting further praise from his national team coach.
“He is only 19 years old.”
“He made his debut for us in the national team at 16.”
“At that age he did things on the pitch that I had never seen before.”
De la Fuente also credited Barcelona coach Hansi Flick for Yamal’s continued development, noting that international football provides a valuable “leap in quality” for players once they return to their clubs.
Spain’s next Nations League fixture comes against Czechia on October 3, as their historic unbeaten run continues.
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