He stood up for Raya… De La Fuente. “The golden duo is back… and this is the most difficult call.”

In an official ceremony in the presence of the King, Luis de la Fuente announced his final 2026 World Cup squad, focusing his speech on the possibilities and ambitions of those selected, away from the controversy surrounding those who were absent.

New faces bring hope

“I want to talk about the reason I joined Eric Garcia and Marc Popil. They have been exceptional this season and we felt the time was right to give them a chance. I have confirmed in advance that I will be looking for new players who have not been with us before.”

He added about Popil. “He plays well in multiple positions, which gives us great tactical coverage.”

As for Victor Munoz, he said: “He is a very active player. He brings speed and excitement to the match. He can completely change the rhythm and even play as an attacking midfielder when needed.”

The best in the world

In a remarkable moment in the press, De La Fuente criticized the media’s focus on only two goalkeepers, saying in a pointed tone: “Why don’t you talk about Raya, everyone only talks about Unai Simon and Juan Garcia… We have the best goalkeepers in the world. Ryan is currently considered the best in the English Premier League.

He added: “They all deserve to be in the starting lineup. We will evaluate the decision of who will play at each stage of the tournament, but I have full confidence in the ability of the trio.”

Injuries won’t stop ambition

De la Fuente assured the Spanish fans about the injuries suffered by some players, especially Lamine Yamal. “We are very calm and confident. If there are no setbacks, we will be able to rely on almost all players from the first match.

The return of the golden duo

The coach spoke with clear enthusiasm about Xavi’s return from injury. “We were all very affected by his injury during the European Championship. I’m so glad he’s back. He is the real playmaker of the team, one of the best midfielders in the world.”

He said about Pedri. “His return is a great blessing for us. If he maintains the level he is showing with his club, I will be completely satisfied. What’s better is that he can still do better and where better than the World Cup to show that.”

Legacy of former leaders

“Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Morata were important elements in our journey. They left a great legacy of leadership, but the current generation is fully competent and capable of shouldering the responsibility. I am indescribably grateful to them.”

Contact Primero

He said in a sad tone about the most difficult decision he made. “Excluding Alex Remiro was the hardest and most difficult. I spoke to him personally, and you can imagine what I told him. But this is not the end for him, there will be other opportunities in the future.”

The team is above the clubs

In response to the question of the historical absence of “Real” players, he firmly said. “Fortunately, I don’t care at all about the origin of each player or the club he belongs to. For me, his ability to represent the national team in the best possible way is important. These are players in the national team, not players of specific clubs. I have no other interest in this matter.”

A realistic title challenge

“We are certainly one of the strongest candidates to win the title, but that doesn’t guarantee anything in football. There are teams at the same level: France, England, Brazil… They are all strong competitors like us. You can lose in football even if you are the best. But we will fight for everything.”

Key ingredients for success

He said about the ingredients for winning the World Championship. “We need three elements: technical quality, humanity and competitiveness. We are a very strong team in these three areas. We also have clear strengths and areas for improvement, but we have solid foundations.”

A special moment with the king

De la Fuente concluded his speech with a moving memory of his meeting with the king. “I watched the video for the first time this morning and was moved by it for so many reasons. It’s the culmination of months of hard work. I was very happy to be with the king. He is a very friendly and likeable person who makes you feel really proud to be Spanish.