De la Fuente Addresses Spain's Injury Concerns Ahead of World Cup Final

Spain walked off the pitch in Munich with a World Cup final secured and one nagging worry: the sight of Lamine Yamal limping through phases of a brutal semi‑final against France.

Within hours, Luis de la Fuente moved to shut that anxiety down.

“Lamine doesn't have anything that I know of. I've spoken with the doctors now,” the Spain coach said after the 2-0 victory over the 2018 world champions, stressing that early medical reports on the Barcelona prodigy are positive as La Roja turn towards Sunday’s final.

Yamal, kicked, harried and chased all night, rode the punishment and finished the game. The images of him hobbling were enough to send a shiver through a country already dreaming of another star on the shirt, but the message from the dressing room is clear: no serious damage, no immediate alarm.

Pedro Porro, though, is not entirely in the clear.

The Tottenham full-back was withdrawn in the 85th minute and replaced by Marcos Llorente, with De la Fuente revealing that he is being monitored for a muscle issue.

“Pedro Porro seems to have overuse injuries, but we'll see tomorrow,” he said, framing it as a precaution but acknowledging the need for assessment in the coming hours.

Pride, not luck

If the injury bulletin brought relief, De la Fuente’s verdict on the performance carried something stronger: conviction.

Spain did not just beat France; they controlled them, outplayed them, and outlasted them. For the coach, that was no surprise and certainly no fluke.

“This isn't by chance: it's talent, hard work, sacrifice, perseverance,” he insisted, pointing to years of development within the Spanish system and the relentless work of his current squad.

He spoke with the authority of a man who has watched this group grow tournament by tournament, game by game.

“We knew we had to keep improving little by little throughout the tournament,” he said. “We would have liked to win the first match, because we would have broken another record, but we're in fantastic form, both in terms of our football and our physical condition.”

The message was unmistakable: this is a project peaking at the right time, not a team riding a wave of fortune.

“The best at understanding the game”

De la Fuente did not hide his admiration for his players. He pushed it to the limit.

“For me, Spanish footballers are the best at understanding the game in the world, and that's an achievement of Spanish coaches and clubs,” he declared, placing this Spain side at what he believes is the summit of international football intelligence.

Yet he refused to get lost in the noise around them. No grandiose speeches, no self-congratulation. The coach kept dragging the conversation back to the process, to the grind that still lies ahead.

“We're happy, but we're not satisfied with this,” he warned. “What's coming is more difficult, and we're eager to play the final. But the final is meant to be played; I'm not one for literary phrases. How could you not be happy to play in a final! Whether you win it or not... there's an opponent. I greatly value the journey, and that's what makes us very strong and allows us to appreciate what we achieve.”

There it was: joy, but not complacency. A place in the final, but no sense that the job is done.

A call from the king, eyes on the crown

The scale of Spain’s achievement was underlined away from the cameras. King Felipe VI picked up the phone to congratulate the squad, a gesture that folded the nation’s expectations and emotions into the dressing room.

“It is a great honor that our king calls us, cares about us, and constantly encourages us,” De la Fuente said. “To be the architects of the joy of a country so devoted in the streets, with a generation that has a commendable attitude. Let's enjoy it, the hardest step is still to come, we have to improve and that's what we're working on.”

Spain now wait for their opponent – England or Argentina – with the memory of 2010 hovering over everything they do. One more match to repeat the greatest night in their history.

Yamal looks ready. Porro will be watched closely. The rest of the squad walks towards Sunday with a coach who refuses to treat this as a destination. For Spain, the journey only matters if it ends with the trophy in their hands.