Spanish Coaches: The Most Sought-After Minds in Football

Luis de la Fuente is another top contender after winning the World Cup with Spain this summer. He coached Spain's U19 and U21 national teams before taking over the senior squad.

He also gave courses for future managers organized by the Spanish federation.

"We have long been pioneers in coach training," De la Fuente said last month. "We are a role model when it comes to training coaches, and that is the root cause of why our coaches stand out."

Rafael Benítez: The Pioneer

It was rather uncommon for Spanish coaches to work abroad until Rafael Benítez moved from Valencia to Liverpool in 2004. Many have followed his example.

Spaniards now represent the largest nationality group among Premier League coaches, with five teams managed by Spaniards. Two of them are candidates for the Men's Cruyff Award: Mikel Arteta at champions Arsenal and Unai Emery, who won the Europa League with Aston Villa last season.

Spain had 107 coaches working abroad in first and second-division clubs last season, up from 99 the previous season, according to UEFA. Portugal was in second place last season with 88.

Spaniards are also being recruited by other countries' national teams.

More than a dozen national teams currently have Spanish coaches, including Qatar, Czech Republic, South Korea, and the Netherlands, who recently signed former Barcelona star Xavi Hernández.

The Dutch Connection and Cruyff's Legacy

Xavi's move to the Netherlands is, in a way, a full circle, as Spain traces its playing style back to Cruyff – who played for Barcelona in the 1970s and returned as coach in 1988.

Cruyff established a new football philosophy in Spain based on possession and quick, short passes between constantly repositioning players. This playing style influenced how Spanish coaches discovered and developed talent.

"The Spanish player is not the fastest, not the strongest or the tallest," Cancela said. "But in my opinion, and I say this without wanting to boast, the Spanish player is the one who best interprets the game and is the most talented."

Tiki-Taka and its Evolution

Luis Aragonés, Spain's coach from 2004 to 2008, made the possession-based approach a national hallmark with a team built around midfield maestros Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.

The so-called Tiki-Taka style led Spain to new heights with consecutive European Championship titles in 2008 and 2012 and the country's first World Cup trophy in 2010. It eventually hit a wall when Xavi and Iniesta retired and Spain couldn't convert possession into goals.

De la Fuente, who took over as head coach after Spain's quarter-final exit at the 2022 World Cup, modernized the system with faster attacking transitions and relied on quick wingers like Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams to pressure defenses down the flanks.

Spain is now back on top, with the Euro 2024 title and the World Cup title this year.

In parallel, Spain rose to become the world's number 1 in women's football, with a team built around a core of Barcelona players such as Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas.

Barcelona's coach Pere Romeu, along with his Spanish compatriot and former Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez from OL Lyonnes, are among the five nominees for the Women's Coach of the Year award.

They met in May in the Women's Champions League final, which Barcelona won 4-0.

Intensive Ball Drills for Precise Passing

A distinguishing feature of Spanish coaches' training methods is the emphasis on drills with the ball.

"Previously, there were many training exercises without a ball, but in Spain, all exercises are based on situations you can see in a real game," said Javier Cano, president of EFA Pro, an association of Spanish professional coaches. "That is the great advantage Spain has had over the past two decades."

A good example is the Spanish "Rondo," a drill that Cruyff made a central part of training at Barcelona. In this exercise, a small group of players must pass the ball among themselves in a tight area while one or two players try to intercept it.

This repeatedly improved the fundamental skills of one-touch passing – as well as opening small angles for receiving – under pressure. This mechanical efficiency in ball retention was evident in Spain's World Cup victories for both men and women.

The Basque Country as a Talent Hotbed

A peculiar characteristic of this generation of elite coaches from Spain is how many of them hail from northern Spain, particularly the Basque Country.

De la Fuente has family roots in the Basque Country, the home region of Emery and other coaches like Julen Lopetegui – who coached Real Madrid and Spain – and José Mendilibar.

Arteta, Chelsea coach Xabi Alonso, and Andoni Iraola of Liverpool played together as youngsters at Antiguoko, an amateur club in the Basque city of San Sebastián.

Antiguoko's vice-president, Roberto Montiel, perfectly recalled the trio of young boys. Although he noticed their talent, he could hardly imagine that they would all reach such heights as coaches.

"It's a mix of everything," Montiel said. "We were lucky that these three great people and players came together at our club. Then there's the DNA of Antiguoko and Basque society, which means we are all super competitive and share a passion for football."