Ahead of Sunday's FIFA World Cup 2026 final in New York, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has ruled out putting a single defender solely in charge of stopping Lionel Messi, tracing that call back to a lesson he learned the hard way when Messi was still a teenager.
A Lesson From a Youth Match
At the pre-match press conference before the title clash against Argentina at MetLife Stadium, De la Fuente looked back on the first time he crossed paths with Messi, long before the Argentine became a global superstar. The meeting came during a Copa del Rey youth fixture between Sevilla and Barcelona. Word of a gifted young Barcelona forward had already reached De la Fuente's camp. "I had heard a lot about a boy who was called Messi," he said, recalling the buildup to that match.
De la Fuente explained that his side initially chose to shadow the teenager with one dedicated marker, a plan that held up for most of the game. The score was still level at 0-0 in the 70th minute when that marker picked up a card and had to be substituted. What followed, in De la Fuente's telling, was a lesson in why a single man cannot be trusted to contain Messi alone. "In the next 15 minutes, Messi scored four times," he said.
Watching Him Closely, Not Chasing Him
That memory shaped how De la Fuente answered questions about Sunday's plan for Messi, now an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner leading Argentina's defence of its title. He confirmed Spain will not detail one player purely to track Messi's movements, even though the forward will draw plenty of attention from his side. "But no more than they will be paying attention to our players," he added, framing it as a contest that will be closely fought on both ends of the pitch rather than one built around nullifying a single opponent.
Warm Words for Scaloni and Argentina
De la Fuente also spoke highly of Argentina and his coaching counterpart, Lionel Scaloni. "Admiration, admiration and more admiration," he said of the reigning champions, and separately described Scaloni as someone he considers a good friend away from the touchline.
Yamal Told to Chart His Own Path
Reporters also pressed De la Fuente on the growing comparisons between 18-year-old Lamine Yamal and Messi. The Spain boss pushed back gently, arguing that Yamal should be free to grow into his own identity rather than be measured against a player he called a role model for every young footballer. "I think Lamine has to be Lamine," he said, adding that the best way to support the teenager is to let him keep developing as himself rather than as a Messi comparison.
Spain's Path to an Unbeaten Final
Spain arrive at Sunday's final having conceded only a single goal across the entire tournament, a defensive record that has made them the first side in men's World Cup history to register six clean sheets in one edition. La Roja opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Cape Verde before winning six matches in a row, eliminating Austria, Portugal, Belgium and France along the way to reach their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 2010. Spain also arrive on the back of a 37-match run without defeat, and a win on Sunday would give them the record for the longest run without a defeat by a European men's national side.
Argentina Chasing Back-to-Back Titles
Argentina, for their part, are aiming to defend the crown they won last time out, having rallied from behind to beat England 2-1 in the semifinal. Scaloni's side have now won 14 matches in a row and built a reputation for scoring late, netting a tournament-record eight goals after the 85th minute. The two nations arrive at the final locked at six wins apiece with two draws in their head-to-head history, setting up a meeting between the reigning European champions and the reigning Copa America champions in a World Cup final for the first time.
