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Luis de la Fuente named best coach at the 2026 Ballon d'Or

The Spain manager took the Johan Cruyff Trophy ahead of Luis Enrique, Arteta, Emery and Kompany, while PSG were named Club of the Season.

Golviva NewsroomUpdated

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente holding the gold Best Coach trophy on stage
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente holding the gold Best Coach trophy on stage · Photo: Mundo Deportivo

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. 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, calling it a collective rather than individual honour.

The ceremony also saw Paris Saint-Germain awarded the Club of the Season prize. Asked about the honour after PSG's 2-0 win over Lyon the same evening, Luis Enrique responded with a touch of irony: "We won that, did we?" before thanking the club's supporters.

Spain coach De la Fuente also spoke about Lamine Yamal's long-term potential at the ceremony, firmly stating his belief that the young forward will win multiple Ballon d'Or awards during his career, according to ESPN.

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.
  • RMC Sport — Le PSG élu club de la saison : "On a gagné ça nous ?", ironise Luis Enrique
  • ESPN — Spain coach: Yamal will win many Ballon d'Or awards in future

Written by the Golviva newsroom from the reports below, with figures from Golviva’s own database. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. · How we report