The coach Luis de la Fuente, former player and coach of Sevilla FC, reminisced about his past at the Nervión club when responding to a possible marking of Messi in the World Cup final.
The Spanish coach, Luis de la Fuente, has once again brought Sevilla FC into the international spotlight during the press conference ahead of the grand World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. The Riojan coach, who has always taken pride in his connection with the Nervión club, referred to an anecdote from his beginnings as a coach in the Sevilla youth system to explain how he will approach the duel against Leo Messi.
A Sevilla anecdote to explain the plan against Messi
When asked if he would order an individual marking on the Argentine star, De la Fuente responded with a story that directly links to his time at Sevilla. "When I first met Messi, I was coaching at Sevilla FC," he began. "I was in charge of the youth team in the Honor Division and we faced Barcelona in a Copa del Rey match. We went to Barcelona and I had heard great things about a kid named Messi."
The coach recounted how in that match he ordered an individual marking on young Messi, but circumstances changed the script. "It was 0-0 and in the seventieth minute, the player marking him got a yellow card. I substituted him and in fifteen minutes, Messi scored four goals," he confessed with a laugh. The lesson served him for the final: "Does this mean we will put an individual marking on him? No. But will we be very attentive to him? Yes."
The coach's Sevilla pride
De la Fuente did not hide his pride in his Sevilla roots. The coach, who also played at Sevilla with the current Argentine coach, Lionel Scaloni, highlighted the friendship that binds them. "Great players always deserve special attention," he added, before praising Messi's Argentina: "In the last eight years, since Leo arrived, Argentina has reached a level that no other team has achieved. They have won the World Cup, Copa América, Finalíssima...".
For Sevilla fans, these statements are a source of pride to see how a product of the club's youth system is leading the Spanish national team in a World Cup final. The connection between Sevilla and La Roja is once again evident at the most important moment in Spanish football in recent years.
The challenge of stopping Messi
The World Cup final will see two teams with distinct styles face off. Spain, under De la Fuente's command, will seek to impose their possession game, while Argentina, led by Messi, will try to exploit spaces. The Spanish coach made it clear that he will not obsess over the Argentine '10', but that he will have a specific plan. "We will be very attentive to him, but just as they will have to pay close attention to our players," he warned.
The final, which will take place this Sunday, will feature two coaches with Sevilla backgrounds. De la Fuente and Scaloni played together at the Seville club, where they forged a friendship that now transcends the national team bench. For Sevilla fans, the final will have a special flavour, with two of their own on the benches and an anecdote that is already part of football history.
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