World Cup: De la Fuente Recalls Messi Masterclass Ahead of Spain–Argentina Final

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has reflected on his earliest experience of facing Lionel Messi, recalling how the Argentine inspired Barcelona to score four goals in just 15 minutes during his time as a youth coach at Sevilla.

De la Fuente made the remarks ahead of Sunday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup final, where Spain will face defending champions Argentina in what is expected to be one of the biggest matches of the tournament.

The Spanish coach acknowledged the enormous challenge posed by Messi, who has been instrumental in Argentina’s run to the final. The 39-year-old captain has scored eight goals and provided four assists during the competition, underlining his continued influence despite being in the latter stages of his career.

Speaking in an interview with Sport, De la Fuente recalled a memorable encounter with Messi during their days in Spain’s LaLiga youth competitions.

“I met Messi when I was coaching Sevilla’s youth teams,” he said.

“We were 0-0 when they gave a card to the player marking him. They scored four on us in 15 minutes.”

The Spain coach’s comments highlight the respect he has for the Argentine forward, who will be seeking to guide his country to a successful defence of the World Cup title they won in Qatar in 2022.

De la Fuente and his coaching staff are expected to devise special plans to limit Messi’s influence as Spain pursue their second World Cup crown following their historic triumph in South Africa in 2010.

Messi has once again demonstrated his ability to decide matches throughout the tournament, producing crucial goals and assists in the knockout stages to keep Argentina on course for another title.

However, the Argentina captain has also been at the centre of debate during the competition. Critics pointed to an incident in the opening match against Algeria, where Messi escaped what many observers believed should have been a red card for a dangerous tackle.

Some football followers have also argued that Argentina benefited from a favourable route to the final compared with several other leading contenders.

Despite those discussions, De la Fuente made it clear that Spain’s primary concern remains stopping one of football’s greatest players while maintaining their own style of play.

The World Cup final will see two of international football’s most successful nations battle for the sport’s biggest prize.