In the early hours of July 15, Spain claimed the Euro Championship title after defeating England 2-1.
Head coach Luis Delafuente has become part of Spanish football history. According to Marca, a Spanish newspaper, he was dedicated to building a true team rather than just a national squad; the team was more like a family. Ultimately, Delafuente led Spain to win the European title. His name is now alongside those of three legendary figures who brought the Euro Cup back to Spain: Jose Villalonga (1964), Aragones (2008), and Vicente del Bosque (2012).
The Euro 2024 Championship has taken Delafuente to unprecedented heights. Under his leadership, Spain won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship (2015), the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (2019), and now the Euro Championship. In addition, he also won the UEFA Nations League and a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Including the Mediterranean Games championship in 2018 (U18), Delafuente has led various national teams to win five championships and one runner-up title.
Looking ahead, the Spanish team inspires great anticipation. With their current playing style, no European team can face them head-on. At this Euro Championship, all former world champions from Europe fell before Spain. First, it was Italy, then Germany, followed by France, and finally England. For the Spanish team, the challenge for the 2026 World Cup year will be to play against American teams, but there’s nothing to fear.
As Delafuente said after the game, “We couldn’t be happier. Seeing the fans, seeing the players…it’s a beautiful day, a real team. To me, they are the best in the world, the greatest.”
Spain achieved perfect results at this Euro Championship: seven games, seven victories. The Spanish Football Federation hopes to renew Delafuente’s contract until the Euro 2028 Championship and increase his annual salary threefold, from 600,000 euros to 1.8 million euros.