Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has confirmed he will not deploy a man-marker on Lionel Messi in the World Cup final, despite his own past experience suggesting it might be a risky strategy. Messi has scored eight goals and provided four assists in the tournament, yet De la Fuente insists his team will focus on collective defending rather than singling out the Argentina captain.
De la Fuente Recalls First Encounter with Messi
Speaking ahead of Sunday's final in New Jersey, De la Fuente recounted the first time he faced Messi, 22 years ago. In May 2004, when Messi was a 16-year-old at Barcelona and De la Fuente coached Sevilla's under-19 side, the two teams met in the Copa del Rey last 16 at the Miniestadi.
“I’m going to tell you something funny about Messi,” De la Fuente said. “We put a man-marker on him. In the 70th minute it was 0-0. When they gave a yellow card to the player who was marking him, I took him off. And in 15 minutes, Messi scored four goals.” Despite this vivid memory, De la Fuente joked, “Does that mean we are going to man mark him? No. Does it mean we will pay close attention to him? Yes, but in exactly the same way that they are going to have to pay attention to our players.”
Comparison with Lamine Yamal
When asked if Spain's teenage star Lamine Yamal could be compared to Messi, De la Fuente was cautious. “Lamine has to be Lamine. Messi can never be repeated. He is an extraordinary talent and above all an example for young players in his attitude, his behaviour, the spectacular World Cup he is producing and the age at which he is producing it,” he said. “It will be a great show between two super teams. It will be a game of talent, brilliance, great play.”
Defending Argentina's Style
De la Fuente also rejected suggestions that Argentina might resort to underhand tactics. “Please, I respect everyone’s opinions but no, I do not [accept that portrayal],” he said. “I have extraordinary admiration for a team that is Copa América [2021], World Cup, Copa América [2024] and Finalissima champions. No one has done that in history. And they are coached by a friend of mine [Lionel Scaloni]. Admiration, admiration, admiration. We will all use our footballing weapons.”
Final Not 'All or Nothing'
The Spain coach dismissed the notion that the final is a make-or-break moment. “What is important is to be in the position to win it,” he said. “Let’s enjoy it, play our way, value this. If you said we could play a World Cup final every year and lose, I would sign up for that.”
De la Fuente admitted he feared only one thing: the helicopter ride arranged by Fifa from New Jersey to Manhattan for pre-match events, calling it a “bombastic, chaotic” experience. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, visibly irritated, described the event as “surreal”. During the event, De la Fuente struggled to speak over the audience shouting for Messi. “Since I was little, I was taught to be respectful of everyone; we should learn this lesson,” he told the crowd.
