Spain says will not man-mark Messi in World Cup final

Spain's head coach, Luis de la Fuente, has confirmed his team will not assign a dedicated marker to Lionel Messi in the FIFA World Cup final against Argentina on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The decision stems from a personal lesson De la Fuente learned over two decades ago when he first encountered the Argentine star.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, De la Fuente recounted a youth Copa del Rey match in May 2004, when he coached Sevilla's under-19 team against a Barcelona side featuring a 16-year-old Messi. His team initially deployed a man-marker on the young forward, and the match was scoreless through 70 minutes. However, when the player assigned to mark Messi received a yellow card, De la Fuente substituted him. In the ensuing 15 minutes, Messi scored four goals.

Drawing from that experience, De la Fuente clarified Spain's tactical approach. He stated that while his team will pay close attention to the 39-year-old captain, they will not rely on a single player to contain him. The coach emphasized that Argentina would be equally focused on Spain's own attacking threats. Messi enters the final in stellar form, having scored eight goals and...