Coach and player? More like father and son: De la Fuente & Simon's sixth final with Spain
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 17.07.26. | 12:13
The goalkeeper and tactician's journey together with the national team has spanned more than a decade
When Luis de la Fuente named his starting XI for Spain's World Cup opener against Cabo Verde and thus revealed which players he trusted most, many argued that it wasn't the strongest lineup he could have chosen.
All the stars were there - Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Marc Cucurella... The only question mark was in goal.
The public wondered why on Earth the 65-year-old would opt for Unai Simon over David Raya - a Premier League winner and three-time consecutive EPL Golden Glove winner.
To learn the answer, we have to go back a decade and explore the Athletic Bilbao custodian and the tactician's shared journey with the Spain national team.
They have worked together since 2015, starting with the U-19 team, then progressing through the U-21 side and the Olympic team, before eventually joining forces at the senior level.
More significantly, the two reached six major tournament finals during their time together at La Roja, with the one on Sunday against Argentina being the greatest one.
With De la Fuente in the dugout and Simon in goal, Spain won the U-19 and U-21 European Championships in 2015 and 2019 respectively, as well as the 2023 UEFA Nations League and the 2024 EURO, while finishing runners-up at the 2020 Olympic Games and the 2025 Nations League.
🇪🇸 Luis de la Fuente
— Xavier Sol la Lande (@XaviSol_) July 16, 2026
Los conoce desde niños y
confía plenamente en su gente
✅Sub 19 —> 🏆Euro 2015
Mikel Merino y Unai Simon
✅Sub 21 —> 🏆Euro 2019
Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo,
Merino, Oyarzabal y Unai Simon.
✅Sub 23 —> 🥈Tokio 2021
Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal,
Pedri, Mikel… pic.twitter.com/WDp0IfOqHf
Therefore, the reason behind La Roja boss's immense trust in his goalie is quite clear.
However, even more important for De la Fuente is that he hasn't made a mistake, as his protégé has never let him down. So far at the 2026 World Cup, Simon has conceded only one goal, making him the favourite for the Golden Glove award.
In the end, the 29-year-old may not be the most talented custodian in Spain's squad, but when he plays under the guidance of his father figure in the dugout, he turns into a world-class shot-stopper.
WORLD CUP - KNOCKOUT STAGE
Sunday
Third-place match
00.00: (2.00) France (3.75) England (3.60)
Final
22.00: (2.35) Spain (3.00) Argentina (3.60)
***odds are subject to change***