Awards
Luis de la Fuente named best coach at the 2026 Ballon d'Or
The Spain national team manager took the Johan Cruyff Trophy, ahead of Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Vincent Kompany.
FootVal Newsroom
Luis de la Fuente has been named Men's Coach of the Year at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, winning the Johan Cruyff Trophy for his role in guiding Spain to a second consecutive World Cup title.
De la Fuente edged out a strong shortlist that included PSG manager Luis Enrique, Arsenal's Mikel Arteta, Aston Villa's Unai Emery and Bayern Munich's Vincent Kompany, according to multiple reports from the ceremony.
Collecting the award, De la Fuente said: "Receiving this award is a genuine honour. Just being among the nominees already made me very happy." He dedicated the prize to his players and backroom staff, describing it as a collective rather than individual honour.
The recognition comes after Spain's World Cup triumph, which Mundo Deportivo had previously identified as the dominant factor in this year's voting.
Sources
This article is based on reports by:
- ge — Bola de Ouro 2026: Luis de la Fuente é eleito o melhor treinador
- Mundo Deportivo — Luis de la Fuente gana el premio a Mejor Entrenador del año
- Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) — BREAKING: Spain coach Luis de la Fuente wins Men's Team Coach of the Year.🏆
- Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) — 🏆✨ OFFICIAL: Luis de la Fuente wins Best Manager of the Year Award at Ballon d’Or.
Written by the FootVal newsroom from the reports below, with figures from FootVal’s own database. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. · How we report