Berlin (AFP)
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente thanked his players for winning a record fourth European Championship title after beating England 2-1 in Berlin, saying they had always believed in him when others doubted him.
De la Fuente (63 years old) took over the technical mission after Luis Enrique, after the exit from the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup, but many doubted the man’s experience, and what he could offer to the team that has been absent from the European Cup for 12 years.
After a “humiliating” 2-0 defeat to Scotland in a Euro 2023 qualifier in March, some local media suggested that the coach, who worked with the youth teams, could be on the verge of being sacked.
Since then, Spain have not lost a match outside of friendlies, beating defending champions Italy and hosts Germany on their way to the final, where they also beat last year’s runners-up England.
“I was confident that my players believed in me, for a year and a half they did not make mistakes,” De la Fuente told reporters.
“Now, there is joy, pride and enjoyment of the moment we have won. No one gave us anything for free,” he added.
De la Fuente expressed his pride in his team, considering that it was the best in the tournament, and this group of players is capable of continuing to develop, because they do not get tired of this matter, of competing, of trying to win, of making you proud of them, from the first day until the last, until now.
“I am happy for my country, for Spain, for the enthusiasm we have found and I hope that people feel the same pride, thanks to all these players,” he added.
Nico Williams scored Spain’s first goal in the final, assisted by Lamine Yamal, and was named Man of the Match.
“I wanted the game to end right then and there (the moment the goal was scored), but it didn’t happen,” he said.
The 22-year-old Athletic Bilbao player said his country did not win the title easily, saying: “We had to suffer, we had to suffer like animals.”
“Right now, we don’t understand what we did. We will return to Spain and we will be able to live this with the fans and return the love they gave us. I think we have written history,” he added.
Williams’ parents came to northern Spain as refugees from Ghana, and his brother Inaki, who also plays for Athletic Bilbao, represents the African national team.
Nico dedicated the European Cup win to his parents, and referred to a “historic change” in the Spanish national team.
“My family fought for this moment, this (win) is for them, for everyone who believed in me from the first moment,” he continued.
“My family went through a lot to get here, they went through more than most and they instilled this respect and loyalty in me,” he added. “At the end of the day, I think footballers have a huge impact on society and I’m very happy that we’re making history.”
Williams considered his national team colleague, Jamal, who became the youngest player to participate in the tournament at 16 years and 338 days, then the youngest player ever to score a goal in the continental tournament, and finally the youngest player to win the title, “amazing, you saw him in the tournament.”
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