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Luis de la Fuente says he will not man-mark Lionel Messi successful nan World Cup final, moreover though nan Argentina skipper has scored 8 times and provided 4 assists and nan Spain coach’s ain acquisition suggests it mightiness not beryllium a bad idea.
In nan buildup to Sunday’s last successful New Jersey, De la Fuente told nan communicative of nan first clip he encountered Messi 22 years agone erstwhile nan Argentinian was a 16-year-old coming done astatine Barcelona, he was nan younker squad coach astatine Sevilla and nan under-19 cup tie brought them together successful nan past 16 successful May 2004 astatine nan Miniestadi.
“I’m going to show you thing funny astir Messi,” De la Fuente said. “Look, I met Lionel Messi erstwhile I was coaching astatine Sevilla successful division de honour [the nationalist under-19 league] and we played a Copa del Rey crippled against Barcelona. We went to Barcelona. They had spoken very good astir a boy called Messi. So, we put a man-marker connected him. In nan 70th infinitesimal it was 0-0. When they gave a yellowish paper to nan subordinate who was marking him, I took him off. And successful 15 minutes, Messi scored 4 goals.
“Does that mean we are going to man people him,” De la Fuente continued, laughing. “No. Does it mean we will salary adjacent attraction to him? Yes, but successful precisely nan aforesaid measurement that they are going to person to salary attraction to our players.”
Asked whether Lamine Yamal was nan nearest point that Spain had to Messi, De la Fuente replied: “Lamine has to beryllium Lamine. Messi tin ne'er beryllium repeated. He is an bonzer talent and supra each an illustration for young players successful his attitude, his behaviour, nan spectacular World Cup he is producing and nan property astatine which he is producing it. It will beryllium a awesome show betwixt 2 ace teams. It will beryllium a crippled of talent, brilliance, awesome play.”
He pushed backmost against suggestions Argentina whitethorn employment acheronian arts, challenging nan image of them arsenic a soiled team. “Please,” he changeable back. “I respect everyone’s opinions but no, I do not [accept that portrayal]. I person bonzer admiration for a squad that is Copa América [2021], World Cup, Copa América [2024] and Finalissima champions. No 1 has done that successful history. And they are coached by a friend of excavation [Lionel Scaloni]. Admiration, admiration, admiration. We will each usage our footballing weapons.”
De la Fuente besides dismissed suggestions this last was “all aliases nothing”. “What is important is to beryllium successful nan position to triumph it,” he said. “Lets bask it, play our way, worth this. If you said we could play a World Cup last each twelvemonth and lose, I would motion up for that.”
He said he was acrophobic of only 1 thing: nan truth that Fifa had made him return a chopper complete from New Jersey to nan pre-match events successful Manhattan and that he still had to spell backmost again. Nor was he impressed by a bombastic, chaotic Fifa arena which Scaloni, visibly irritated, described arsenic “surreal”. During nan event, De la Fuente had struggled to speak complete nan sound of nan assemblage shouting complete him and cheering for Messi, who was besides connected nan stage.
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“Since I was little, I was taught to beryllium respectful of everyone: we should study this lesson,” he told nan crowd.
