An overview of the career of the man in charge of La Rojita in Malta 2023.
Jose Lana serves as the selector tasked with guiding Spain’s Under-19 team toward the deepest possible run at the European Championship for the category, a tournament held in Malta starting Monday, July 3, 2023.
DIRECTLY | Follow the Iceland Sub-19 versus Spain Under-19 clash from the 2023 Malta European Championship.
Malta 2023 European Guide Under 19
Who is Jose Lana, the Spain Under-19 coach: which teams has he coached and where did he play football?
In January 2023, the Royal Spanish Football Federation announced reorganizations within the lower age groups to keep momentum and pursue the federation’s long-term goals.
As part of these changes, Santi Denia moved to oversee the Under-21 side, taking over a role similar to the one held by Louis van de Bron before he stepped aside to assume greater duties at the senior level. In the wake of that shift, Jose Lana was appointed as the Under-19 coach. Lana was born in 1976 in the Asturian town of Mieres and began his career as a technical analyst within Spain’s youth ranks at the Royal Spanish Football Federation. He joined from Real Racing Club de Santander during the 2018-2019 season, where he had served as an assistant coach with the first team.
Holding a Physical Education diploma from the National Institute of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences (INCAFD) at the University of León in Castilla y León, Lana built his experience as a coach and trainer across several clubs. He has worked as an assistant coach and physical trainer for teams including Caudal Deportivo de Mieres, Pájara Playas de Jandía, and Burgos CF. His coaching journey also included a spell with Racing de Santander. Lana has spent time in North America, contributing to Canadian clubs Chinooks SC and Calgary West SC during various periods.
On the international front, Lana has been part of the coaching staff that oversaw the Italy-hosted 2019 European Under-21 Championship where the Spanish team secured the title. He was also involved in the preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where Spain earned a silver medal in the football tournament.
The Asturian coach has taken an unconventional path through football, combining roles in youth development and senior-level preparation across different leagues and countries. He explains that his roots are in Mieres, where he studied Physical Education and began his career with Caudal Deportivo in 1999. He describes his early years as a second in the first team, the primary coach for the youth ranks, and later the director of the cantera. His first major coaching opportunity came in 2007 with Pájara-Playas de Jandía in the Canary Islands, where he worked as a physical trainer for three seasons before returning to Caudal. A move to Racing Santander followed in 2013, after a brief period in Burgos, and then a stint in Canada in 2018, marking a decade of varied experiences that shaped his approach toward youth development and comprehensive football education.
Today, Lana’s role centers on cultivating a framework that blends technical development, tactical understanding, and competitive readiness for Spain’s Under-19 players. His philosophy emphasizes a balanced mix of fieldwork, video analysis, and individualized coaching plans designed to maximize each player’s growth within a challenging European environment.