The 65-year-old coach was thrilled to see his side claim a 2-0 victory over France in their semi-final on Tuesday (14.07.26) night to stake their first place in a World Cup final since 2010 and thinks they have what it takes to step up another level for their last game against either England or Argentina.

Referencing their goalless draw with Cape Verde in the group stages, he said: “We’re so proud. This amazing generation of players has such a great attitude and is a role model for so many different values. We are united for a common cause. Now we have the last step, the toughest one. We’ll have to improve and we’ll try to do so.

“Of course we would have loved to win the first game but this is a process and it was all planned for us to reach these key moments in the best shape possible. Now we are in great shape, the players are very excited and we have reached a peak after this long season.”

De la Fuente insisted there are no concerns about Lamine Yamal, who was seen walking carefully after full-time, but admitted goalscorer Pedro Porro had a muscular issue.

But the Tottenham Hotspur right back shrugged off any complaints as he spoke about his pride in both his goal and his teammates.

Porro said: “It’s a dream come true. Not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine scoring a goal. I’m very happy with the team’s attitude from start to finish. We played a great game, we did everything to advance.”