Luis de la Fuente, the coach of the Spanish men’s national soccer team who won the European Championship in Berlin on Sunday evening, has openly declared his Catholic faith again. “I pray every day,” de la Fuente told journalists ahead of Sunday’s Euro 2024 final, according to media reports. Whether prayers or religious gestures, such as making the sign of the cross on the field, are not prayers, the football coach continued: “I’m not superstitious at all.” The Christian faith gives him great security and great strength.
The 63-year-old de la Fuente comes from the north of Spain, from the town of Haro in the La Rioja region. According to his own statement, the coach lights several candles in front of the patron saint of his birthplace, the statue of the Virgin Mary, before every soccer match of the Spanish national team. During the European Championships, one of his friends in Haro accepted this task. Each time, a video of the candle being lit was sent to De la Fuente.
Faith does not always lie
During his active time as a footballer, the Spanish national coach played for Sevilla FC, among others. It is from this time that his commitment to the representation of the cross in the Andalusian capital falls, which shows Jesus Christ taking his last breath. De la Fuente is a member of the Brotherhood that worships this cross called “El Cachorro” and organizes a procession with it during Holy Week. The Spaniard had previously said that he was not always so convinced of his faith. But: “At a certain point in my life I decided to return to faith and lean on God in everything I do.”
The Spanish national team, led by de la Fuente from 2022, were the dominant team at the 2024 European Championship They had not lost a game and also beat England 2-1 in the final on Sunday evening at the Olympic Stadium Berlin. (Rome)