De la Fuente declines to say what he would have done in Ronaldo dispute

Luis de la Fuente has refused to be drawn into the controversy involving Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portugal national team, saying he does not have enough information to judge the situation.

The Spain head coach was asked at a news conference what he would have done if he had been in charge of the “Brazil of Europe” during the current crisis. However, he rejected the hypothetical scenario and said decisions should not be made without knowing the full facts.

“Clearly, I cannot talk about this matter or give an opinion on it because I do not have enough information or sufficient details,” De la Fuente said.

“Speculation and assumptions are not my way. I do not like making judgements without knowing the facts.”

De la Fuente was speaking before Spain’s match against Czech Republic tomorrow, in the third round of the Nations League. Rather than comment on how he would have handled Ronaldo’s situation, he stressed that every incident had to be considered on its own terms.

“In my view, each situation must be dealt with when it actually happens,” he said. “As one of my teachers always used to say: every situation is unique, and it must be handled according to its nature.”

The Spain manager also made clear that he did not want to place himself in another coach’s position and assess a decision made during a dispute whose circumstances he did not fully know.

When pressed on whether he had any idea how he would respond to a situation involving Ronaldo, De la Fuente gave a brief answer.

“Honestly, I do not know,” he said.

He then reinforced his position, insisting that a meaningful answer was impossible without a clear understanding of events.

“As I said, you cannot give an answer without knowing the truth and what actually happened,” De la Fuente added.

“Unfortunately, that is all I can say.”

His comments ended any prospect of a hypothetical assessment of the Ronaldo-Portugal dispute, with De la Fuente choosing instead to focus on Spain’s upcoming fixture against Czech Republic.

The question was also featured in a post by MARCA on 2 October 2026, asking: “What would De la Fuente have done with Cristiano Ronaldo?”