# Luis de la Fuente: Spain to Focus on Messi in World Cup Final

*Spain's coach Luis de la Fuente plans to pay 'special attention' to Lionel Messi in the World Cup final but ruled out man-marking the Argentina captain.*

July 18, 2026 · Sports

Luis de la Fuente has revealed that Spain plans to pay'special attention' to Lionel Messi in the World Cup final on Sunday. The Spain coach ruled out using man-to-man marking against the Argentina captain, drawing from his experience coaching Sevilla's youth team when Messi was a junior at Barcelona. De la Fuente recalled a match where Messi scored four goals after his marker was substituted due to a yellow card.

## FAQ

{"question":"Why is Spain focusing on Messi?","answer":"De la Fuente believes Messi is a unique talent and has been instrumental in Argentina's journey to the final. He aims to neutralize Messi's impact without resorting to man-marking."}

{"question":"What is de la Fuente's history with Messi?","answer":"De la Fuente first encountered Messi when coaching Sevilla's youth team. In a match against Barcelona's juniors, Messi scored four goals after the assigned marker was substituted."}

{"question":"Will Spain use man-marking against Messi?","answer":"De la Fuente explicitly ruled out man-marking, citing his previous experience where it failed to contain Messi."}

{"question":"What did de la Fuente say about Argentina's tactics?","answer":"De la Fuente dismissed suggestions that Argentina might use underhanded tactics, expressing admiration for the team and his friendship with Argentina's coach, Lionel Scaloni."}

## Sources

- BSS

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Source: https://pulsetoday.com.bd/en/sports/messi-special-attention-spain-world-cup-final