De la Fuente: Lamine Yamal Must Be Himself; Messi is Unrivalable

Luis de la Fuente, the coach of the Spanish national football team, addressed the burgeoning comparisons between young sensation Lamine Yamal and football legend Lionel Messi. De la Fuente emphasized that Yamal should focus on developing his own unique style, stating, "Lamine has to be Lamine, because Messi is someone unrivalable."

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Lamine has to be Lamine, because Messi is someone unrivalable. He has immense talent and is an example for the younger players with his age, everything he is doing in the World Cup. And Lamine, the best way to help him is to enhance his characteristics, because he has exceptional potential for the future.

De la Fuente confirmed that Yamal is in good condition and participated normally in training, despite a minor thigh knock. He noted that the player possesses immense talent and serves as an inspiration to younger players with his achievements at the World Cup. The coach believes the best way to support Yamal is by nurturing his individual characteristics, as he has exceptional potential for the future.

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I'm going to tell you something very funny. I was training in the Sevilla youth academy, in the top division. We played a Copa match against Barcelona. We went there, and I had heard very good things about a boy named Messi. We assigned him individual marking, and in the 70th minute, the score was tied 0-0. When the player marking him received a yellow card, I substituted him, and Messi scored four goals against us.

Recalling a past encounter, De la Fuente shared a humorous anecdote from his time coaching in Sevilla's youth academy. During a Copa match against Barcelona, he was warned about a young player named Messi. Despite assigning a man-to-man marker, the game was tied 0-0 until the defender received a yellow card and was substituted. In the remaining minutes, Messi scored four goals against them.

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We are not going to assign him individual marking, but we will pay him special attention. As they will pay attention to our players.

Looking ahead to the World Cup final against Argentina, De la Fuente indicated that while they won't assign an individual marker to Messi, they will pay him special attention, just as Argentina will focus on Spain's key players. He expressed excitement about facing Argentina, managed by his friend Lionel Scaloni, whom he taught in a coaching course. De la Fuente described their relationship as one of mutual admiration and competitive spirit.

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We are very excited. We have a great relationship, we are two great competitors, and we are very happy to be able to face each other. We have mutual admiration.