Alvaro Morata captained Spain to Euro 2024 glory in Berlin (Picture: Getty)
Jose Mourinho has passed on his congratulations to Spain after the side’s Euro 2024 triumph over England and praised Luis de la Fuente on the ‘amazing job’ he has done over the last month.
Mikel Oyarzabal came on and broke English hearts with an 86th-minute winner at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, sealing Spain a record-breaking fourth European Championship title.
Substitute Cole Palmer had earlier cancelled out Nico Williams’ opener with a stunning strike in the 73rd minute to give the Three Lions hope of securing a first major trophy in 58 years.
But it wasn’t to be for England and it remains to be seen if Gareth Southgate will stay on as head coach for the 2026 World Cup, with the 53-year-old’s current contract coming to an end in December.
Spain, meanwhile, were far and away the standout team at this summer’s tournament, winning all seven of their matches under the tutelage of De la Fuente, who took charge as manager in 2022.
In the aftermath of the final, Mourinho took to Instagram to congratulate Spain stars Nacho and Alvaro Morata, two players who made their professional debuts on his watch at Real Madrid.
The Special One also joked about his failure to recognise the talent of Dani Carvajal, who was let go by Madrid before returning to the Bernabeu to captain the club.
‘2024/Champions League winner captain Nacho Fernandez/European Champion winner captain Alvaro Morata,’ Mourinho, who was recently appointed manager of Fenerbahce, wrote on Instagram.
‘Many congratulations to them and to the coach who gave them their debut when they were just kids in the Academy [three laughing emojis].
‘Same coach who did not understand that Dani Carvajal was another one [angry emoji, swearing emoji, smiling emoji].
‘Many congratulations to Mister De La Fuente for an amazing job. Best team won!’
At his post-match press conference, Spain head coach De la Fuente said he was confident his squad could go on to achieve further success over the coming years.
‘They are tireless. They will keep improving, competing, trying to win and they all need to feel proud,’ De la Fuente told reporters.
‘I said it at the beginning and I’ll just keep saying it now: they make my life and my work much easier.
‘I’m really happy about my country, about Spain, about the excitement we have created and I hope everybody feels as proud about this generation of players who can make history and have a long future ahead of them.
‘All I wanted was for my players to believe in me and to be convinced of what I told them, not only me, but also the whole technical staff. I feel proud.
‘We have earned this. Nobody gave us anything for free. The harder things are to get, the more valuable they are.’
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