Scaloni was De la Fuente's student in 2017; now they face off in World Cup final

Published Jul 16, 07:07 AM UTC

According to Mundo Deportivo, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente served as a lecturer for Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni during a UEFA Pro License coaching course in 2017. Scaloni, who studied technical and tactical subjects, ranked among the top five students in that class. The two have maintained a good teacher-student relationship since then. They will now face each other as opposing coaches in the World Cup final, scheduled for next Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Scaloni seeks his second World Cup title with Argentina, while De la Fuente aims for his first and Spain's second since 2010. The article also notes that other notable figures, such as Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola and former Spain women's coach Jorge Vilda, were involved in the same course.