Luis de la Fuente reveals plans to stop Lionel Messi in Spain vs Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026 final
Lionel Messi will be key for La Albiceleste in Spain vs Argentina tonight.
Argentina will be looking to defend their crown in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final against Spain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19. La Albiceleste have been brilliant in their title defence so far, riding on the form of their talismanic captain, Lionel Messi.
Despite being 39 years old, the Inter Miami forward has scored eight goals and registered four assists in the expanded 48-team World Cup in North America. He currently trails Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race by just two goals.
Messi also has a decent personal record against La Roja, scoring twice in three matches. He has won once and lost twice in those clashes.
Despite Messi’s unbelievable form in the tournament, Luis de la Fuente has categorically ruled out man-marking the forward in Sunday’s clash.
Instead, the Spanish head coach said that his side will look to collectively contain the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, all while maintaining their possession-based playing style.
Also Read: What boots will Lionel Messi wear in Argentina vs Spain FIFA World Cup 2026 final?
De la Fuente recalls Messi story
Justifying his decision against assigning a man-marker to Messi, De la Fuente recalled a story from his first encounter with the Argentine player in 2004. He was the youth coach of Sevilla while Messi was playing for Barcelona’s academy side.
“I’m going to tell you something funny about Messi,” De la Fuente said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday. “Look, I met Lionel Messi when I was coaching at Sevilla in División de Honor (U-19 league), and we played a Copa del Rey game against Barcelona.”
“We went to Barcelona. They had spoken very well about a boy called Messi. So, we put a man-marker on him. In the 70th minute, it was 0-0,” he added, laughing. “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.”
“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.”
Head coach backs Lamine Yamal
The Spanish head coach backed his star prodigy, Lamine Yamal, saying he should forge his own path rather than be compared to Messi. Yamal, who inherited the iconic number 10 jersey for Barcelona that was previously donned by Messi, has one goal in the tournament.
“Lamine has to be Lamine,” De la Fuente said. “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.”
When is the Spain vs Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026 final?
The final will be played on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In India, the match will kick off at 12:30 AM IST on July 20.
How to watch Spain vs Argentina match in India?
Fans in India can watch the match live on DD Sports (free‑to‑air via DD Free Dish) and on Unite8 Sports channels. For streaming, the game will be available on the ZEE5 app and website, requiring the FIFA World Cup subscription pack.
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Sushruta has spent over two years covering football, with a particular focus on Indian and international competitions. Alongside football, he has reported on a variety of sports, bringing curiosity and perspective to every story. When he’s not following the action, he can usually be found binge-watching movies or getting lost in a good book.