Spain's De La Fuente was Argentina's Scaloni's coaching course teacher ahead of World Cup final

Published Jul 17, 02:47 PM UTC

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium, a surprising personal link has emerged between the two head coaches. Luis de la Fuente (65) of Spain was the teacher of Lionel Scaloni (48) of Argentina during Scaloni's coaching diploma course in Spain in 2017. Scaloni, who spent much of his playing career in Spain and settled there with his family, took the UEFA Pro course under de la Fuente, who was a coach within the Spanish Football Federation. Both men expressed mutual admiration, with Scaloni noting their 'special relationship' and de la Fuente recalling Scaloni as a 'very diligent student.' The two will set aside their friendship for the final, where Scaloni seeks his second World Cup title and de la Fuente his first.

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