Julen De La Fuente, the former U21 boss of Spain who recently took over as the senior team's coach from Luis Enrique, has revealed why he chose Julian Alvarez over Lionel Messi in his vote for The Best Awards organized by FIFA.
In a recent interview with a Spanish news outlet, De La Fuente explained that he voted for Alvarez because he believed that the young Argentine forward deserved recognition for his impressive performances with River Plate.
"I think Julian Alvarez is a fantastic player who has been performing at a very high level for River Plate," said De La Fuente. "He is young and talented, and I believe that he deserves recognition for his achievements."
De La Fuente also praised Lionel Messi and acknowledged his status as one of the greatest players of all time. However, he emphasized that his decision to vote for Alvarez was based solely on merit and not on personal preferences or biases.
"Of course I respect Lionel Messi and everything he has achieved in football," said De La Fuente. "But when it comes to voting for awards like The Best, I always try to be objective and fair. In my opinion, Julian Alvarez had a better year than Messi in terms of performance."
De la Fuente's decision to choose Alvarez over Messi may have raised eyebrows among fans and pundits alike. However, it underscores the coach's commitment to recognizing emerging talents who are making significant contributions to their teams' success.
As Spain prepares for upcoming matches against Greece, Georgia, Kosovo and Sweden this month as part of their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign under de la Fuentes guidance , fans will be eager to see how the new coach will shape up this squad along with what other surprises or decisions come from him in future award ceremonies or match selections.