During a press conference on the eve of Spain's quarter-final match against Belgium, national team coach Luis de la Fuente shared a moment of laughter. A journalist had referenced a penalty missed by Eloy in 1986, suggesting it felt as distant to Dani Olmo as the era of Marcus Aurelius. De la Fuente, preparing his team for a historic opportunity to reach Spain's second World Cup semi-final, found the comparison amusing, revealing a calm demeanor attributed in part to his philosophical leanings.
De la Fuente confronts the intense demands of the World Cup, and previous competitions, by recalling lessons from his repeated readings of a small book penned amidst conflict. Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 160 to 181 AD and arguably the most powerful figure of his time, dedicated the final decade of his life to compiling personal reflections. These notes, made after overseeing military operations against Germanic tribes along the Danube, formed the work now known as 'Meditations.' De la Fuente mentioned this book during the aforementioned press conference, also sharing his enjoyment of family television viewing, including Eurovision, 'Un, dos, tres,' and Spanish national team matches.
He quoted a passage from Aurelius: “What is bad for the hive is bad for the bee.” De la Fuente elaborated on its relevance: “That's how it is: each of us has to think as a team, as a group. And it works well for us, because we have very good people.” This work, which the coach first encountered years ago, remains a constant reference. His personal copy, kept in Madrid, is heavily marked with underlines and marginal notes.
Marcus Aurelius's influence is evident in De la Fuente's public statements and his motivational talks to players.
David Hernández de la Fuente, a professor in the Classical Philology Department at Complutense University of Madrid and translator of a recent edition of 'Meditations,' describes Aurelius as “the last great Stoic.” He highlights the book's extraordinary survival. “It's a miracle we have it, because the book disappeared after his death. Seven centuries later, in the 9th century, a Byzantine bishop discovered the manuscript, had it copied, and brought it to light,” Hernández explains. He adds another unique aspect: “The book is a non-book. It wasn't written for publication. It's a journey of introspection, intimate notes. He wrote it as a form of self-consolation, self-help, though not in the modern sense.” Despite its original intent, it has gained popularity in recent years precisely as a self-help guide.
Hernández notes a resurgence of Stoicism. “There have been many Stoic revivals,” he says. “After the pandemic, there was a very strong one. Many people turned to Stoicism as a more pragmatic, Roman philosophical recipe from antiquity. It's a simple, easy-to-understand philosophy that offers keys for turbulent times. Your world crumbles, and yet you still have to make sense of it. Even today, humans fall into two groups: Stoics and Epicureans. Those who believe everything has meaning, whether for a reason called X or God, and those who believe everything is chance, like the Epicureans.”
One clear instance of Aurelius's influence on De la Fuente is his emphasis on serenity. “Calm is power. Tranquility is power,” he stated in another World Cup press conference. Hernández confirms, “That is very Stoic. One should strive for ataraxia, or freedom from disturbance of the soul.”
This philosophy extends to handling criticism, a common aspect of football. “We live apart from those judgments, those analyses,” De la Fuente remarked. “I live happier, and it allows me to make decisions calmly. I don't need it. If it added something, if it brought me something positive, I would read everything, but it truly doesn't.”
Nearly 2,000 years prior, Marcus Aurelius wrote: “Like the one who throws the ball. What good does the tiny ball gain by rising, or what harm by descending, or even by having fallen?” For the emperor, the ball remains the same whether it is high or on the ground.
De la Fuente often states, “We focus on what we can control, which is football,” consistently avoiding matters beyond his influence. 'Meditations' advises: “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
The book, which has captivated entrepreneurs and tech moguls, has also resonated with many elite athletes. “Because it talks about how to prepare for the clash, for combat,” says Hernández. The work includes passages such as: “The art of life is more like wrestling than dancing, in so far as it requires a man to stand ready and unshakeable to meet sudden and unforeseen attacks.”
According to the professor, Epicureans would not be suited for high-level competitive sports. “Epicurus's motto is 'far from the madding crowd,' the golden mean. If you don't aspire to the maximum, you cannot compete.”