Four Spanish managers on 2026 Ballon d'Or coach shortlist | OneFootball

El Correo reports that Spanish managers dominate the 2026 Ballon d'Or coach shortlist, with Luis Enrique, Luis de la Fuente, Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery named among the five. Bayern Munich's Belgian coach Vincent Kompany is the only non-Spaniard.

The winner will be announced on 26 October in London. The line-up underlines the growing clout of Spain's coaching school at the elite level.

Luis Enrique returns to centre stage after another landmark season with Paris Saint-Germain. He delivered a second consecutive Champions League, plus Ligue 1, the French Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.

Luis de la Fuente's route was different. The Spain head coach guided the national team to the 2026 World Cup title, capping a rise that began in the youth set-up and ended with the senior job.

Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to the Premier League title and also reached the Champions League final. Unai Emery added another Europa League crown with Aston Villa.

Spanish influence extends to the women's award. Jonatan Giráldez of OL Lyonnes and Pere Romeu of Barcelona are among the five candidates, and Barcelona will feature in the best women's club category.

Source: El Correo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”