The World Cup final between Argentina and Spain in New Jersey has a special background on the benches. Luis de la Fuente, coach of Spain, was Lionel Scaloni’s teacher in 2017, when the latter took the coaching course in Las Rozas.
Both face each other for the first time in a decisive match. Scaloni remembers it like this:
“In addition to having been my teacher in the coaching course, I have had a particular relationship with him, because I like his closeness and coincidentally today we met in a final.”
De la Fuente, for his part, expressed his admiration: “I am an admirer of him in football and he is a great person.”
Two profiles without clubs
Scaloni and De la Fuente share that they have never coached professional clubs. In a World Cup with coaches like Ancelotti or Tuchel, they represent the traditional national team coach. Its success does not depend on tactics, but on human management.
“The most important thing is to manage a group, beyond tactics,” said De la Fuente, who took charge of Spain after Qatar 2022.
Scaloni, nicknamed the “accidental coach”, took over in 2018 after leaving Russia. Despite Maradona’s criticism – “Scaloni? He can’t even direct traffic” – he led Argentina to the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América.
Firm decisions
Both technicians do not hesitate to leave out figures. Scaloni defeated Rodrigo De Paul in the semifinals; De la Fuente excluded Pedri to make way for Fabián Ruiz. “We do what we believe the party needs,” Scaloni explained.
Scaloni lives in Mallorca and has a Spanish family, but on Sunday he will look for victory: “I’m sorry, we’re going to try to beat them.” Someone will be crowned, but the respect between teacher and student has already been sealed.
