DPA
Berlin
Spain coach Luis de La Fuente hopes that the players who were part of the squad who won the Euro 2024 title on Sunday can have an influence far beyond football.
“It’s football, but it’s also about values, sports embodies values,” he said after the 2-1 win against England in the final in Berlin.
“This generation sets an example, they are young players who have the will and the mentality to work hard. These players are an example to society.”
De La Fuente said that he isn’t sure of to what extent football can influence society, but he stressed that his players are not just “spoiled boys, but people who give their all.
“It would be nice if people understood that and we could show young people what they can achieve in life,” he said.
Young star Nico Williams, who scored the opener against England, expressed a similar feeling. “I think it’s a historic change that’s happening. I think footballers have an impact on society,” he said.
Williams and team-mate Lamine Yamal, who became the youngest player to play and score at an European Championship, were the face of the successful Spanish team, which became the first side to win all seven matches at one Euros as they moved one ahead of Germany with a fourth Euro title, the previous ones coming in 1964, 2008 and 2012.
“We are very grateful. My parents suffered a lot to get me here. They suffered and taught me respect and loyalty,” Williams said.
William’s father Felix and his mother Maria, who was pregnant with his brother Inaki, fled from Ghana to Europe with smugglers, who abandoned them in the sweltering heat of the Sahara desert.
They faced extreme starvation and dehydration, and were forced to cross the desert barefoot to reach Spain, where they were granted political asylum.
