Speaking on Spanish radio less than a day after the federation locked him in until 2032, the Spain head coach lifted the lid on the biggest La Liga move of the window.
“There were moments when I thought Rodri was heading to Real Madrid,” de la Fuente told COPE’s El Partidazo.
Rodri joined Barcelona from Manchester City in an initial €76.5m deal announced on 18 August, signing a contract that runs through 2030. Real Madrid had been named among the interested parties before the talks tipped decisively towards the Catalan side.
A Spanish push for the Ballon d’Or
De la Fuente made no secret of his preference ahead of the 2026 Ballon d’Or gala in London on 26 October, with Spain represented by four names on the shortlist.
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“A Spaniard deserves it. There are four of us Spaniards,” he said.
Asked whether he himself had earned a place, the coach joked that he had “done the same as the rest of the nominees”.
Yamal’s “playful” line about Mbappé
The Spain coach also addressed his teenage star’s headline-grabbing comments. Lamine Yamal narrowed the race to himself and Mbappé earlier in September, telling Universo Valdano: “I think there are probably two of us who are the best in the world, me and Mbappé, but I think I deserve it this year because of what I’ve won.”
“Lamine is very respectful of Mbappé and I think it is good that they value each other,” de la Fuente said. “I think he says it in a playful way, as a natural footballer would.”
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The comments came a day after the Spanish federation’s board unanimously approved a contract extension for de la Fuente through 2032, a deal that runs across the 2028 and 2032 European Championships and the 2030 World Cup Spain will co-host with Portugal and Morocco.
De la Fuente led Spain to their second World Cup crown in July with a win over Argentina in the final, and has now won 38 of his 50 games in charge of the senior squad.
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