CORNERFLICK
Luis de la Fuente was named men's coach of the year at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony in London after Spain's World Cup triumph.
Spain's title run
De la Fuente received the Johan Cruyff Award at the Palladium in London, adding an individual prize to a run of success with Spain. The 65-year-old led the national team to the World Cup last summer, ending a 16-year wait for the title.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final and lifted the trophy for the second time in their history. They went through the tournament unbeaten and conceded only one goal.
Other nominees
De la Fuente was up against Paris Saint-Germain's Luis Enrique, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany and Aston Villa boss Unai Emery for the award, and the Spain coach took the honour.
He has been in charge since December 2022 and had already won the Nations League in 2023 and Euro 2024 before this World Cup success. That leaves him with three major trophies in less than four years at the helm of Spain.