Luis de la Fuente has made it clear that Spain’s biggest names will not receive special treatment, with the manager defending his authority after the latest controversy involving Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal.
Speaking in Prague, de la Fuente dismissed speculation over Yamal’s delayed arrival at the Spain camp. “Talking out of ignorance is the saddest and most regrettable thing in life,” he said.
The manager confirmed that postponing Yamal’s arrival, as had also happened with Mikel Oyarzabal, was his decision and that the relevant parties had agreed to it. He also rejected any suggestion that the Barcelona player had been given preferential treatment.
“He has no special privileges. We would have done the same with anyone,” de la Fuente said, while criticising what he described as lies, fabrication, inaccuracy and a lack of credibility.
The episode follows another dispute involving Yamal in November 2025. On Monday, 10 November, the first day of the international camp, the Spanish Football Federation said it was surprised and unhappy to learn that the player had undergone a minor radiofrequency procedure to treat pain in his pubic area without informing the federation beforehand.
Yamal had initially been named in the squad before withdrawing because of his condition. De la Fuente said in an interview with Cadena SER that Barcelona should have explained its intentions earlier, although the club retained the right to make the decision it believed was best for the player. He later repeated his criticism on RNE, saying he had never faced a similar situation.
The manager was less severe when responding to Hansi Flick, who had accused Spain of allowing Yamal to join the squad injured, take painkillers and play more than 70 minutes in each match despite Spain leading by three goals. Flick said protecting young players should be a priority.
De la Fuente criticised Flick’s comments but added: “I missed the empathy, because he had been a national-team manager himself.”
His approach has also applied to established Spain players. Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Morata were left out of the World Cup squad after de la Fuente made clear that Carvajal needed time to regain his best form. Previous selection, he said, did not guarantee a future call-up. The pair ultimately missed out, reinforcing his view that readiness and contribution to the group matter more than reputation.
Sergio Ramos was another difficult omission. De la Fuente described leaving the former Real Madrid captain out of Spain’s Euro 2024 squad as one of the hardest decisions of his career. He had also resisted calls to select Ramos for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, despite the defender being eligible as one of three over-age players.
“Sergio Ramos knows how much I value him; I greatly admire what he represents, but I am sure he understands why I made this decision, because he is a professional footballer and a wonderful team-mate,” de la Fuente said.
In March 2025, Brahim Diaz chose Morocco after feeling he had not received enough support from the Spanish federation. Spain’s late attempt to call him up did not change his decision. A similar situation followed with Assane Diao, who chose Senegal.
De la Fuente said players must be available, willing to play and selected, with willingness the most important principle: “No-one is forced to play for Spain.” He cited Aymeric Laporte, Robin Le Normand, Yamal, Samu Omorodion and Dean Huijsen as players who chose Spain without conditions.
He has also urged the media and supporters to protect Yamal, who was 17 during the European Championship. “It seems like a long time ago, but he was not yet 17; he turned 17 during the European Championship,” he said, warning that praise could quickly turn to criticism after two matches without a goal.
During the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Germany, de la Fuente substituted Yamal in the 61st minute. The player appeared frustrated, but the manager told AS: “A player has the right to want to play, but complaining in that way is disrespectful to the player who will replace him.”
De la Fuente later stressed that his relationship with Yamal was excellent. His wider message, however, remains consistent: flexibility in communication does not mean surrendering authority, and the team must come before any individual.
