Luis de la Fuente, Spain's coach, praised his players, saying that the 'team-first' mentality led them to a 1-0 victory over Argentina after extra time on Sunday in the final, as Spain won the World Cup for the second time in its history, confirming its status as a dominant team in international football.

De la Fuente, who at 65 became the oldest coach to lead a team to a World Cup victory, also led Spain to win the 2024 European Championship, and his team has not lost in 38 matches in all competitions – a record unmatched by any other team in Europe or South America.

De la Fuente told journalists: 'In the past, people were surprised that football players have talent and skill and at the same time are good people. We are the most cohesive team, thanks to having people with solidarity and values.'

Spain secured the match against the defending champions with a single goal scored by substitute Ferran Torres in extra time, further evidence of the collective spirit that drove the team throughout the tournament.

De la Fuente said: 'I am very proud of this generation of footballers who grew up with this philosophy, remained faithful to it, made it better, and set an example as a team and as a family. They are excellent, world-class footballers with exceptional talent.'

He added: 'I am very emotional. When I look back and think about them, I find that we have won everything, absolutely everything, through this generation of players.'

Spain conceded only one goal throughout the tournament, but struggled to find the decisive touch in front of goal during the first 115 minutes against a stubborn Argentina team that saw Enzo Fernández sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time of the second half of regular time.

De la Fuente refused to rush in response to a question about whether he is thinking of staying until the 2030 edition, and said he will take his time before deciding his future. He added: 'We are where we want to be, and we are lucky with our players. We are not in a hurry, we must enjoy this, maybe think about September and the upcoming matches, but this is a historic achievement, let's focus on one thing at a time.'