Luis de la Fuente signs new Spain contract through Euro 2032

Luis de la Fuente has signed a new contract with the Spanish federation that runs to the end of Euro 2032. The Rfef's board approved it unanimously on Monday, the federation said, at a meeting in Madrid.

The Independent describes it as a six-year deal and the longest ever agreed for a Spain head coach. It covers Euro 2028, the 2030 World Cup that Spain will co-host with Morocco and Portugal, and the 2032 European Championships. The renewal had by all accounts been agreed during the World Cup, and Monday's meeting made it formal. The paper adds that the deal is said to include a considerable pay rise. Corriere dello Sport notes that De la Fuente will be 71 when it expires.

Federation president Rafael Louzán presented it as a matter of continuity.

"We are looking for a project built on stability and trust," Louzán said.

De la Fuente won the Nations League in 2023, Euro 2024 against England and the World Cup in July against Argentina. He has taken 38 wins from 50 games in charge. His only defeats were against Scotland, in a competitive match, and Colombia in a friendly in London. Spain's unbeaten run stands at 38 matches, a record.

At Monday's press conference he spoke of the group as a family, an idea he said the squad began to stress at Euro 2024. "We are not content with what we have achieved so far. The best is yet to come," he said. He also told Italian media he was excited to reach Euro 2032 and, being very competitive, would give everything.

He builds around Lamine Yamal, the Barcelona winger with 50 goals for the club since August 2023. The squad is changing around him. Marcos Llorente, a World Cup winner, retired from international football this month at 31 after 27 caps.

If the federation's bet on stability holds, this may mean De la Fuente manages the transition from the World Cup-winning generation to the next one, rather than someone new inheriting it.