When Spain appointed Luis de la Fuente as head coach in December 2022, few expected him to deliver the Nations League (2023), European Championship (2024) and World Cup (2026) in so short a time frame.
Spain had just been knocked out of the World Cup by Morocco in the last 16 in Qatar and the federation needed a replacement after Luis Enrique left his role.
“They went with this guy [De La Fuente] who understood the style and the system,” added Balague.
“It was a very risky decision – I don’t think anyone thought he would be so successful.”
It appeared risky because De La Fuente took charge of Spain, who have won three of the past five men’s European Championships – (2008, 2012, 2024) – without having managed a big club.
After retiring as a player in 1994, De La Fuente spent 15 years in different roles with a succession of different clubs, including managing in the lower Spanish leagues, youth roles and assistant coach positions – before he took charge of Spain’s youth teams.
“De la Fuente knew most of these players from the academies and they are growing as a team,” former Spain midfielder Juan Mata told BBC Sport.
“This is not only a team for the present, but also a team for the future.”
Since being appointed senior boss after stints in charge of the under-19s, under-21s and at Olympic level, De La Fuente has implemented a culture of respect for their rivals, for the process and preaching patience and calmness.
“Most of you are younger than me and you need to respect experience,” the 65-year-old told journalists at his pre-match news conference in New York on Friday.
“Once we finished the game, there were footballers who said ‘coach, now what else is there to win as we have won everything in all the categories’.
“We came to the conclusion that what remains is the next match in September because this team are relentless.”
The success of the national teams and Spanish coaches has spilled over to club football.
Despite Pep Guardiola’s decision to leave Manchester City after 10 trophy-packed years, at least a quarter of the managers who start the 2026-27 Premier League season are Spanish.
Spain are now unbeaten in their last 38 matches in all competitions, the longest ever run by any European or South American team in history.