Doha. Morocco don eliminate Spain for round of 16. Na big blow for the national team. But e be like say that loss start new era. Now, Spain don win Nations League for 2023 and Euro 2024. Dem dey aim for World Cup 2026 final for New York.
Denominación de Origen documentary begin for Qatar, for that defeat against Morocco wey end Luis Enrique era and bring Luis de la Fuente as coach. De la Fuente no too known for public, but e get long football career. Still, people criticize am. But wetin dem no know be say De la Fuente dey grow when things hard. “The media criticism make me motivate more,” e confess for the documentary.
The documentary show the origin of Lamine Yamal, the personal side of Nico Williams, the method of Luis de la Fuente, and the stories of Borja Iglesias and Mikel Merino. De la Fuente born for Haro, La Rioja, and there be where im values come from. Im friends dey pray to Virgin of the Vega to help am for every match. De la Fuente feel the support, but e trust more for another force: the group. “We fit when we put common good before individual. When team play together, things possible. We be example of wetin society need, to dey united,” e yarn.
This philosophy dey shared by those wey don pass through the selection since 2022. So, the last controversy around Spain goalkeeper don become small matter inside the camp. For March 2026, for first time, Luis de la Fuente call four goalkeepers, wey generate plenty suspicion and put doubt for Unai Simón as number one. “I dey live away from noise, I dey independent and dem no go influence me,” De la Fuente confess.
For the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper, controversy be normal for im position. “Since I debut for 2020, people always dey question the goalkeeper position, even though we don win things,” e explain. So, e dey stay away from the talk, same as the other goalkeepers. Neither Simón, nor David Raya, nor Remiro, nor Joan García join the discussion. The opinion of all be one. “Nobody dey bigger because e play. The important thing be to get healthy relationship and make things easy for your teammate. A goalkeeper must get level, effort, personality, teamwork. I train like I be starter and I help the one wey dey play to dey fine because e go good for everybody,” Remiro, starter for Real Sociedad, yarn.
“For big tournaments, the best teams win, not the best players. The health of a team dey determined by those wey dey on the bench,” Simón conclude. Feeling of belonging and pride define the technical staff and players of the current selection. Lamine Yamal be one of those wey don fire for mind where im talent and personality form: Rocafonda neighborhood for Mataró, Barcelona. For that working-class area, people still remember small Lamine playing for the squares with older guys, fighting for every ball. “E never give up,” Inocente Díez, wey be im first coach, recall. From those streets, e go FC Barcelona, where e become the youngest player for the club history to debut, with 15 years and nine months. But e never forget im home, wey e remember with special celebration after each match: “E dey significant, I dey remember my neighborhood.”
Nico Williams also don fire Bilbao and Athletic Bilbao for im mind. So, for 2025, e reject FC Barcelona offer to remain for home. “Heart dey weigh more. I dey where I want dey, with my people. This be my home,” e yarn for video where e confirm say e dey stay for the club where e grow as person and footballer. “I prefer to dey for Athletic than to win five Champions or two leagues for another team,” e yarn. That decision be before and after for the player, wey don pass through several injuries for the last year, wey allow am to grow as person, to mature.
Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams be the big doubts for Luis de la Fuente before World Cup start because of their injuries. Who dey available be Mikel Merino, wey don overcome serious injury for im right foot this year, wey make am doubt im presence for USA. “The mind dey very important and I try to dey focus for day-to-day. I dey concentrate on wetin I fit control, wey be to recover,” e explain for Denominación de Origen. So, between sudokus and crosswords, the player don recover for record time to fulfill dream: “To play World Cup be the biggest. After I miss the previous one, to experience am now dey very important.”
Alongside Merino, Borja Iglesias go dey, one of the most committed players for the national team, wey experience im own break with La Roja after e stand against Luis Rubiales and announce im resignation from the selection because of the kiss to Jennifer Hermoso. “Wetin happen no represent me and I feel better to resign from the selection than no. We need to take measures and I no go feel good if I no do am.” Months of pointing and hate wey don remain for back. Now, e dey live im return to the selection as success. “Dem stop to condemn people wey stand for the things wey dey correct. Dem dey reward to stand, to be who you be and to show when things dey good or when dem no dey.”
Unai Simón, starting goalkeeper for Spain for the last international tournaments, and David Raya, wey dey fight for the position, yarn yesterday about the position wey be “ungrateful” – according to the Athletic player – and dem highlight the good relationship between all the goalkeepers wey dey for Luis de la Fuente list, plus the quality of all of them. No debate there. “Since I dey here for the selection, since 2020, always dey debate for the goalkeeper. Now Joan Garcia dey do other wonderful numbers. E reach point where I don live with this for six years. At first e dey weigh me, I no go lie. E dey worth to be goalkeeper of the selection with all the noise wey dey?” Unai Simón yarn for interview for Tablero Deportivo for RNE, wey Europa Press collect. The La Roja goalkeeper value the last dilemma about the position wey David Raya or the same Garcia dey aim, while Álex Remiro left out. “Then you go begin realize say na the world wey you dey live, the world wey you must know how to live with am. I don reach conclusion say wetin truly matter na wetin the coach think, your teammates and the reality wey you dey live,” e yarn. “Comments go always dey. And more when you dey for the focus as the goalkeeper wey don be starter until now for the selection. I no know who go play against Cabo Verde, I no know who go play this World Cup, I no know who go play the Euro in two years, the next World Cup. But whichever goalkeeper dey, I dey warn say always go dey debate. Always go dey somebody wey go see another goalkeeper better,” e add.
“The goalkeeper be one of the most ungrateful positions for football. But na wetin e be. Na me I train, to be goalkeeper, I train and the gift come out, because at the end na gift or something wey dey inside. And I dey live with am. E cost me to learn plenty and at the beginning, when I get 12, 13, 14 years, to learn to live with mistake. But I do so many fuck-ups that I don accept am,” e yarn. Simón say dem no know which goalkeeper go start, but same as the other positions. “I always like to highlight say we no know which goalkeeper go play for the day of Cabo Verde. I dey imagine say una fit do una own calculations and I also go get my idea of who fit play, but the truth be say all of us dey train to fit play for the day of Cabo Verde,” e point.
For this last part, im teammate David Raya dey agree. “I think the goalkeeper dey for very good hands whoever dey play. I think Unai, since e debut, don give level for the goalkeeper. We don win Nations League and we don win Euro with am. And I think e be great goalkeeper wey don give us these titles as starter,” e yarn yesterday for press conference. “The criticism dey for to find headline or to find debate, but the competition I think dey very good. I think not only Joan, or me or Remi. We no fit forget Robert, also now Leo (Román) come for support group, wey apart from being great goalkeeper na great person. So I think with Unai we don win these titles and e don be very important for us,” e yarn for praise. “The group dey incredibly happy, with hope to start for 48 hours, with plenty hope, with plenty desire to start and to give everything, to try to win the first match, wey dey very important,” e refer to Spain debut, tomorrow against Cabo Verde.
“Always dey plenty competition, especially for the Spanish selection with the goalkeepers wey we don get. And with total naturalness, with teamwork, we dey try to push each other to be better and make life a little difficult for the coach so that whoever e choose, e no be easy. Here all of us dey to help the team, and whoever dey to play first match, second, third or the whole tournament go do am the best wey e fit. And those wey dey outside, dey help as always,” e yarn. Football | World Cup Courts Football | World Cup Health Lifeguard Receive FREE for your email ‘The first coffee’ and ‘Today was news’ with the main news.
