SPAIN MANAGER Luis de la Fuente didn’t need such large biceps to lift the 6.175kg World Cup trophy on Sunday, but they certainly wouldn’t have hurt.
An avid gym-goer, De la Fuente has spent years sculpting his impressive physique. He first recognised the importance of strength training after suffering a serious knee injury during his playing career. Now 65, he’s remained consistent ever since, with one recent video even showing him making a 16kg dumbbell look effortless during preacher curls.
“For me, it’s a relaxing moment, it’s an hour where I’m only thinking about my things, about myself; sometimes I think about work and other times I think about nothing,” he explained on Informe Plus de Movistar. For De la Fuente, staying active is essential to living well as he gets older.
“Work, work and work,” he told Relevo when asked about the secret to his success. “Be disciplined. I always talk about values, discipline, and the ability to make an effort and endure suffering. That’s my diet. For me, sport is a way of life, beyond looking better or worse. I have been raised this way, I have been practising sport since I can remember, and now I know that I couldn’t live without sport.”
It’s a philosophy that long predates Spain’s World Cup triumph. During Euro 2024, while leading his nation to the title, De la Fuente still prioritised his training sessions – despite operating on extremely limited sleep.
“We’ve very little free time,” De la Fuente said in 2024. “I get up early, I have my routines, my workout. From 9am we are operating until 1, 2, 3 or 4am. So I don’t sleep much – some days three hours, others four, others five. I can have a nap after eating, but not much.”
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