Dream Run to the Finals: Spain Coach's Salary Sparks Debate on Cost-Effectiveness

As Spain secured a 2-0 victory over France in the semifinals of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup held early this morning, the salary of the Spanish national team head coach has become a hot topic.

According to Salary Leaks, a website that specializes in disclosing salaries, the annual salary of Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente is estimated at 2 million euros, or approximately 3.4 billion won.

Considering the prestige of the Spanish national team, this is considered a very modest figure.

The website estimates that the highest-paid coach is Carlo Ancelotti, the Italian manager leading Brazil, who earns 9.5 million euros, or approximately 16.7 billion won.

The salary is significantly lower than that of other European teams with similar competitive levels, such as England manager Thomas Tuchel, who earns 10.2 billion won, and Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, who earns 8.4 billion won.

According to the same media outlet, the salary of former South Korean national team manager Hong Myung-bo was listed at 2.16 million euros, meaning Spain's de la Fuente earns even less than the former South Korean coach.

In Spain, de la Fuente's performance has been praised as incredible value for money.

It is believed that de la Fuente's salary is relatively low because he was not as widely renowned compared to other managers.

Having served as a coach for Spain's age-group national teams since the summer of 2013, he took over as the head coach of the senior Spanish national team immediately after the 2022 Qatar World Cup and has been leading the team ever since.

Following the victory at Euro 2024, de la Fuente has now led the team to the finals of this tournament, cementing his status as a world-class manager.

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News | Source: Salary Leaks
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.