De la Fuente: Special attention to "Al-Baraghouth"

New York (AFP) – Spanish national team coach Luis de la Fuente said he intends to give “special attention” to Argentina captain Lionel Messi, known as “The Flea,” in the 2026 World Cup final in North America, but ruled out using man-marking.

Speaking to journalists at a press conference ahead of the unprecedented summit between the current champions of Europe and Latin America, De la Fuente said he was aware, from his own experience, of the challenges involved in assigning a dedicated marker to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

He recalled an experience from his time managing Sevilla’s youth team, when Messi was playing in Barcelona’s youth categories. “I first faced him when I was coaching Sevilla’s youth side. We went to Barcelona, and I had heard wonderful things about a boy named Messi,” he said.

He added: “So we assigned a player to mark him closely, but in the 70th minute I had to substitute him because he was carrying a yellow card. The score was 0-0, and within 15 minutes Messi scored four goals in our net.”

De la Fuente continued: “So we will not rely on man-marking this time. We must remain alert and certainly give him special attention.”

He added: “Messi is a unique case. He is a role model for young athletes in terms of his behavior and conduct, especially given the extraordinary World Cup performances he is delivering at this age.”

He added: “I believe both Spain and Argentina will enter the match with a plan based on talent and attractive football above all else.”

He clarified that his star player, Lamine Yamal, “trained normally with the rest of his teammates and is in good health and in peak physical condition.”