New York, July 19 -- Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has ruled out assigning a dedicated marker to Lionel Messi in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between La Roja and the defending champions, recalling how a similar tactic backfired spectacularly against the Argentina captain when he was a teenager.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's title clash against Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New York, De la Fuente recounted his first encounter with Messi during a youth Copa del Rey match between Sevilla and Barcelona.

"I met Lionel Messi when he was playing in youth football. It was a Copa del Rey match between Sevilla and Barcelona. I had heard a lot about a boy who was called Messi," De la Fuente said, as per FIFA....