Luis de la Fuente and Lionel Scaloni, from teacher and pupil to World Cup final rivals | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Luis de la Fuente taught Lionel Scaloni in 2017, and on Sunday at 21:00 they meet in the World Cup final.

That year in Las Rozas, de la Fuente, a former player who joined the Spanish federation in 2013 after lower league jobs, taught the class. He later led the under-19s to a European title.

Opposite sat Scaloni, newly retired after Atalanta, having spent a decade at Deportivo with later spells at Racing Santander and Mallorca. On the course, de la Fuente taught sessions titled Evolution of Football and Team Building.

Scaloni later recalled tactical debates moving onto the pitch, with practical trials and detailed advice on playing and training. He described his teacher as friendly and generous with his time.

The course ended in June 2017 alongside classmates Fernando Redondo, Juan Carlos Valeron, Javier Saviola and Walter Pandiani.

Then assistant to Jorge Sampaoli at Sevilla, Scaloni followed him to Argentina’s bench, succeeding a year later amid scepticism before the successes that followed.

De la Fuente rose through Spain’s ranks, winning the under-21 Euros in 2019 and Olympic silver in 2021, then took the senior job after the 2022 last-16 exit under Luis Enrique.

After booking this final, Scaloni said he had a constructive chat with de la Fuente in Qatar following a coaches’ congress once Argentina were champions. Before the second semi-final, de la Fuente said he hoped to face Argentina out of friendship.

On the eve of Argentina’s match against England, Scaloni added he would call de la Fuente only if his side were eliminated, otherwise not, and he publicly stressed his respect.

Source: L'Équipe