Ballon d’Or: Luis de la Fuente named coach of the year; Unai Simon wins best goalkeeper award
London: Luis de la Fuente has been awarded the Coach of the Year prize at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony after leading Spain to victory at the 2026 World Cup.
The coach from La Rioja has crafted a true ‘signature team’, characterised by dominance in possession, relentless vertical aggression and a suffocating tempo. De la Fuente’s coaching philosophy reached its zenith at the 2026 World Cup, where Spain marched to the trophy with overwhelming superiority.
His team conceded just one goal throughout the tournament (in that tight encounter against Belgium), neutralising every opponent that stood in their way to the title.
On their path to glory, Spain defeated top-tier powers such as France and Argentina – two of the most dominant teams on the international stage – with unquestionable authority. This triumph cemented de la Fuente’s status as one of the most influential managers on the planet.
His triumph furthermore was underpinned by a record that defies all previous records: 42 consecutive international matches without defeat. Under him, Spain achieved the longest unbeaten run ever seen in international football, an unprecedented milestone in the history of the sport.
Since he took the reins of the national team in 2023, ‘La Roja’ have enjoyed a golden era, winning the UEFA Nations League (2022–23), the European Championship (2024) and the World Cup (2026).
Under De la Fuente’s guidance, Spain not only returned to the pinnacle of world football but also re-established the undisputed dominance of its golden era, back in 2010.
Spain’s Unai Simon was crowned the world’s best goalkeeper. He has established himself amongst the very best in world football. His brilliant performance for the Spanish national team during the 2026 World Cup was the decisive factor in his nomination and winning the award.
During the tournament in North America, the Athletic Club goalkeeper smashed a record that had seemed unbeatable. Simon went a total of 560 consecutive minutes without conceding a single goal at the World Cup, surpassing the record of 517 minutes held by Italy’s Walter Zenga since the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
It took 36 years for a goalkeeper to break such a statistical barrier. Following the 2026 World Cup, Simon is now officially the goalkeeper with the longest unbeaten run in World Cup history.