# Luis de la Fuente wins the 2026 Johan Cruyff Trophy

Spain’s coach was named men’s Coach of the Year at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London, ahead of finalists including Luis Enrique.

By The Signal Edition | Sports / Soccer
Published: 2026-10-26T22:38:00Z
Updated: 2026-10-26T22:38:00Z
Canonical: https://www.thesignaledition.com/article/luis-de-la-fuente-johan-cruyff-trophy-tc6onu
Image: https://www.thesignaledition.com/media/dde2bb7b61e7c9c555c3bf9ebf973922.webp (Luis de la Fuente in a navy suit on the RFEF’s 2026 Ballon d’Or best-coach graphic; credit: RFEF; official nomination graphic)

## Summary
- Luis de la Fuente won the men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on Oct. 26.
- He finished ahead of Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Vincent Kompany.
- The award follows Spain’s Nations League title in 2023, European Championship in 2024 and World Cup victory in 2026.
- The win is confirmed by the Ballon d’Or organizer and independently reported by AS and Cadena SER.

## A London award for Spain’s coach

Luis de la Fuente won the men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on Monday, Oct. 26. The official Ballon d’Or announcement names the Spain coach as the men’s Coach of the Year, and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) likewise confirmed the result after the ceremony. De la Fuente succeeds Luis Enrique, who won the previous edition. [1](https://ballondor.com/news/posts/luis-de-la-fuente-has-been-named-coach-of-the-year) [2](https://rfef.es/es/noticias/de-la-familia-la-eternidad-luis-de-la-fuente-mejor-entrenador-del-mundo) [3](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/de-la-fuente-en-la-cima-del-mundo-f202610-n/) [4](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/10/26/luis-de-la-fuente-gana-el-balon-de-oro-como-mejor-entrenador-del-mundo-cadena-ser/)

The five nominees were De la Fuente, Luis Enrique of Paris Saint-Germain, Mikel Arteta of Arsenal, Unai Emery of Aston Villa and Vincent Kompany of Bayern Munich. AS reported that De la Fuente prevailed over the four other finalists; Cadena SER also identified him as winner and placed the presentation at the Palladium Theatre. The recognition is a coaching award, separate from the Ballon d’Or prizes for players. [3](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/de-la-fuente-en-la-cima-del-mundo-f202610-n/) [4](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/10/26/luis-de-la-fuente-gana-el-balon-de-oro-como-mejor-entrenador-del-mundo-cadena-ser/) [5](https://efe.com/deportes/2026-09-08/nominados-balon-de-oro-2026-mejor-entrenador/)

The result followed a season in which Spain won the 2026 World Cup, defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final on July 19. The RFEF’s post-award account highlights that triumph and the team’s record unbeaten run, while the official Ballon d’Or profile points to the same World Cup campaign as the culmination of De la Fuente’s work. Those are the federation’s and organizer’s explanations of the award context, not a published breakdown of votes. [1](https://ballondor.com/news/posts/luis-de-la-fuente-has-been-named-coach-of-the-year) [2](https://rfef.es/es/noticias/de-la-familia-la-eternidad-luis-de-la-fuente-mejor-entrenador-del-mundo)

## A run of titles with Spain

De la Fuente took charge of Spain’s senior men’s team in December 2022 after a long stretch in the federation’s youth setup. The RFEF says he led Spain to the 2023 UEFA Nations League title, then to the UEFA European Championship in 2024, before the World Cup win this summer. Cadena SER’s ceremony report also situated the new honor alongside that run of international trophies. [2](https://rfef.es/es/noticias/de-la-familia-la-eternidad-luis-de-la-fuente-mejor-entrenador-del-mundo) [4](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/10/26/luis-de-la-fuente-gana-el-balon-de-oro-como-mejor-entrenador-del-mundo-cadena-ser/) [6](https://rfef.es/en/noticias/official-rfef-statement-on-luis-de-la-fuente-and-his-coaching-staff)

Before becoming senior coach, De la Fuente worked with Spain’s youth national teams, including the under-19 and under-21 sides. The RFEF traces his federation career to 2013 and credits him with winning the 2015 Under-19 European Championship and the 2019 Under-21 European Championship. His background across age groups is relevant to his senior-team tenure, though the award announcement does not attribute the trophy to any single coaching method or selection decision. [6](https://rfef.es/en/noticias/official-rfef-statement-on-luis-de-la-fuente-and-his-coaching-staff) [7](https://rfef.es/en/noticias/The-Story-Continues-Luis-de-la-Fuente-Until-2032)

The coach was nominated alongside Luis Enrique, who brought PSG another Champions League title, and domestic-league winners Arteta and Kompany, as well as Europa League-winning Emery. EFE’s September nominee report listed the five candidates and described De la Fuente and Luis Enrique as leading contenders; that was pre-ceremony context, not confirmation of the eventual result. The winner was settled only when the Ballon d’Or ceremony announced De la Fuente on Monday. [1](https://ballondor.com/news/posts/luis-de-la-fuente-has-been-named-coach-of-the-year) [3](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/de-la-fuente-en-la-cima-del-mundo-f202610-n/) [5](https://efe.com/deportes/2026-09-08/nominados-balon-de-oro-2026-mejor-entrenador/)

## Reporting sources
1. [Ballon d’Or: Luis de la Fuente has been named Coach of the Year!](https://ballondor.com/news/posts/luis-de-la-fuente-has-been-named-coach-of-the-year) (2026-10-26)
2. [RFEF: Luis de la Fuente, mejor entrenador del mundo](https://rfef.es/es/noticias/de-la-familia-la-eternidad-luis-de-la-fuente-mejor-entrenador-del-mundo) (2026-10-26)
3. [AS: De la Fuente, en la cima del mundo](https://as.com/futbol/internacional/de-la-fuente-en-la-cima-del-mundo-f202610-n/) (2026-10-26)
4. [Cadena SER: Luis de la Fuente gana el Balón de Oro como mejor entrenador del mundo](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/10/26/luis-de-la-fuente-gana-el-balon-de-oro-como-mejor-entrenador-del-mundo-cadena-ser/) (2026-10-26)
5. [EFE: De la Fuente, Arteta, Luis Enrique, Emery y Kompany, nominados al Balón de Oro 2026 a mejor entrenador](https://efe.com/deportes/2026-09-08/nominados-balon-de-oro-2026-mejor-entrenador/) (2026-09-08)
6. [RFEF: Official RFEF statement on Luis de la Fuente and his coaching staff](https://rfef.es/en/noticias/official-rfef-statement-on-luis-de-la-fuente-and-his-coaching-staff) (2024-03-26)
7. [RFEF: The Story Continues: Luis de la Fuente Until 2032](https://rfef.es/en/noticias/The-Story-Continues-Luis-de-la-Fuente-Until-2032) (2025-11-26)