DE LA FUENTE RULES OUT MAN-MARKING MESSI IN WORLD CUP FINAL

Luis de la Fuente has stated that Spain will not employ man-marking against Lionel Messi in the World Cup final, despite acknowledging that close attention will be paid to the Argentina captain. De la Fuente said Spain will focus on monitoring their own attacking players as much as defending against Messi. The final takes place on Sunday in New Jersey.

De la Fuente revealed an anecdote from 2004, when he was youth-team coach at Sevilla and encountered Messi, then 16, in a Copa del Rey under-19 match at Barcelona's Miniestadi. He stated that after assigning a man-marker to Messi, a yellow card to the defender in the 70th minute led him to withdraw the marker, following which Messi scored four goals in 15 minutes. De la Fuente said Messi has scored eight times and provided four assists in the tournament. He described Messi as an "extraordinary talent" and an example for young players, and declined to characterise Argentina as employing "dark arts" or being a dirty team.

De la Fuente praised Argentina's record, noting they won Copa América in 2021 and 2024, the World Cup, and the Finalissima, describing this as an achievement no team had previously accomplished. He stated his admiration for Argentina's coach, Lionel Scaloni, whom he described as a friend. Asked whether Spain forward Lamine Yamal represented Spain's closest equivalent to Messi, De la Fuente said Yamal must be himself, as Messi could not be replicated.