India, 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.

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente recalls previous clash against Lionel Messi

"I met Lionel Messi when he was playing in youth football. It was a Copa del Rey match between Sevilla and Barcelona. I had he...