Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente maintains a clear conscience over Lamine Yamal’s fitness management, even as Spain’s 31-match unbeaten run places La Roja among the leading World Cup favourites.
De la Fuente acknowledges the recent tension with Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, yet stresses that player welfare and national team performance both guide his decisions.
The disagreement began when Lamine Yamal aggravated a chronic groin problem while on Spain duty during the first international window of the season in September. Flick then questioned how Spain handled young talents, after seeing the teenager suffer discomfort linked to the long-standing issue during that schedule with the national side.
Spain’s remarkable 31-game unbeaten sequence stretches beyond the dominant era that covered the European Championship titles in 2008 and 2012 and the 2010 World Cup success. That consistency has pushed Spain into the conversation as leading contenders for this year’s World Cup, where the draw placed La Roja with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde.
De la Fuente believes the current squad can challenge for the trophy but warns that the field is deep with strong nations. “The run highlights the great work of a group of exceptional players, but we still need to win a World Cup,” said De la Fuente. “This generation is capable of challenging for the next one. Going so many games unbeaten shows that we’re doing a good job, which reflects the effort of everyone involved. We can be world champions. We can, and we will fight to be. But other teams will also try. None of the top teams will be left out, like Brazil, Argentina, Germany, France, Portugal, or Morocco. There hasn’t been another World Cup with such a wide range of contenders as there will be in the next one.”
The Lamine Yamal issue resurfaced in November, when Spain selected the winger for World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Turkey. Barcelona then notified the federation that the teenager required rest after a groin procedure, leading to the player leaving the national squad before featuring, which initially caught De la Fuente off guard.
De la Fuente later underlined that disagreements are natural between club and country when dealing with elite talents and busy calendars. “I understand the role that each one of us has, and that we are going to defend what is ours,” De la Fuente told AS. “I understand his position, as he surely will understand mine, because he was also the coach of his country, Germany. I focus on my responsibility, which is to be Spain’s coach, and that means bringing the best to represent our country. This alone justifies any of our decisions. And I want to stress that we take care of the health of the players, that it is a priority and that we can demonstrate it. Because when we have had the slightest doubt with Lamine, or with anyone else, he has not played and has returned to his club. I have a clear conscience.”
That stance reflects Spain’s intention to balance club concerns with national ambitions, particularly with a key creative player like Lamine Yamal, whose 2025 numbers underline a major attacking impact. As Spain chase another World Cup crown, De la Fuente’s approach to fitness management and squad harmony remains central to the long unbeaten run and growing expectations.