Spain manager Luis de la Fuente confirms he would drop players if they are 'not a good person'

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has said he is willing to leave out quality players from La Roja if their heart is not in the right place. De la Fuente will lead Spain into the Euros in Germany, and after a tricky start, has won over many with improved performances and a Nations League victory.

It was put to him by Marca that he always says you need to be a good person to get a call up to the national team before anything else.

“To succeed in football you have to be a good player… and have a thousand more details. And the most important thing are those thousand more details and one of those details, for me the most important, is being a good person, because that encompasses respect, camaraderie, solidarity, humility, respect… Without this I do not understand team sport.”

He confirmed that he has dropped players for their lack of character.

“No doubt, yes no doubt. Therein lies the importance of managing a group. A group works better if we are all on good terms, if we all understand that quality has to be at the service of the team, if we understand that we have to have a good attitude whether it is your turn or not to play… That respect for teammates is essential and I don’t think there can be any exceptions.”

“Give me a good footballer who is a good person, and I will get more out of him than another player who raises doubts in you. The national team is different from a club. Here there are no 38 days to change things. Here you have a game and if you are not one hundred percent, you are out. And you have to control those small details and if you don’t take care of them, they can put you out. A bad gesture can put you out of a competition like that.”

De la Fuente was asked how exactly he measures or finds out if someone is a