La Fuente rejects Trump's 'offer' to coach the U.S. national team
Luis de la Fuente, the coach of Spain's world champions, stunned the world champions by revealing his quick conversation with US President Donald Trump on the podium at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, following La Roja's victory over Argentina with a clean sheet and clinching the 2026 World Cup title.
De la Fuente explained that Trump, during his handshake and handing over the gold medal, praised the physical and tactical levels presented by the Spanish team throughout the tournament before joking with an unofficial invitation to take over the coaching of the U.S. team, expressing his admiration for the way he managed the big matches, which the coach met with a smile of thanks, confirming his adherence to leading Spain's golden generation.
During the special press conference after the 2026 World Cup final, a reporter in the conference room asked coach Luis de la Fuente about the conversation he had with Trump, and what the latter said to him before awarding him the gold medal, to which De La Fuente replied: "Yes, he spoke to me, he congratulated me on winning the World Cup title, and he assured me that Spain deserved the title of the tournament after the distinguished level he performed."
La Fuente: I will continue my work with Spain
"Then he laughed during the conversation and offered me that I should coach the U.S. team, in order to help them try to win their first World Cup title. I laughed and thanked him for the compliment. I told him I was happy with this but my heart is with Spain. It has been my greatest honour to coach this team, and now that we have become world champions, I couldn't ask for more."
The Spanish coach described the conversation with Trump as "beautiful and there was a lot of respect", adding: "Moments like this are part of football, you get to know personalities and people from all over the world, who have all the appreciation for what your team has done and achieved in the end."
"Of course, to hear an important person say that they trust you to lead their country is great, but I will continue my work with Spain with concentration, building on what has been achieved," La Fuente concluded.