Revealed: Milan considered World Cup finalist De la Fuente in 2024

Revealed: Milan considered World Cup finalist De la Fuente in 2024 Luis de la Fuente could have ended up in the Milan dugout, with the Spain coach having been considered by the Rossoneri when they sought a successor to Stefano Pioli in 2024. According to Il Giornale, via CalcioMercato , when Pioli’s five-year spell ended after the 2023/24 season, Milan’s hierarchy weighed several candidates, Julen Lopetegui as the initial first choice, then Paulo Fonseca, who ultimately got the job, and De la Fuente’s name was among those given genuine thought. The idea never progressed beyond that: the Spaniard was, at the time, preparing the campaign that would end in triumph at Euro 2024. Ruben Amorim smiles at his first Milan press conference (acmilan.com) De la Fuente takes Spain to the World Cup final instead as Milan gamble on Amorim Two years on, the sliding-doors quality of that decision is hard to miss. De la Fuente has guided Spain to Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina, adding to a European Championship and a Nations League since stepping up from the federation’s youth ranks in 2023 following Luis Enrique’s departure. His is a career built almost entirely inside Spanish football’s development system, European titles at Under-19 and Under-21 level and Olympic silver at Tokyo 2020 came before the senior job, and his great gift has been maximising a collective. Beyond Lamine Yamal and former Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, this Spain side is short on superstars, yet has produced the tournament’s most complete football, while De la Fuente has been vindicated in his loyalty to the likes of Unai Simón, Pedro Porro and Mikel Oyarzabal. Milan, in the seasons since, have churned through the dugout and finished outside the Champions League places, entrusting their latest rebuild to Ruben Amorim. What might have been had they pursued the quiet man from La Rioja is a question Sunday’s final will only sharpen.