World Cup final coaches Lionel Scaloni and Luis De La Fuente go way back

NEW YORK — It is lovely to catch up with an old friend. Perhaps after the World Cup final, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni and his Spain counterpart Luis de la Fuente will get the chance.

They've been seeing a lot of each other: Watching the World Cup on TV, scouting film ahead of the World Cup final and most recently sharing the stage at a Fanatics Fest event that also included former NFL star Tom Brady, NBA player Kevin Durant and tennis great Novak Djokovic.

There, they shared a hug, but in what Scaloni felt was a living Joan Miró painting - or perhaps it's better to select a work from the Argentine artist Leonor Fini.

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"I’m not going to tell you what I said because we were in a surreal situation in the middle of … I don’t know," Scaloni said, trailing off as he thought about the Fanatics Fest moment he'd just experienced. "That’s the football we’re living.

"I went there because he was going to be there. That’s why I went. I told him, Luis I’m here for you and other things I’d prefer you guys not know, but that’s how we saw each other after such a long time, in an event that was a bit …," he continued, without finishing his sentence.

That much is clear. A former student with the Spain coach as he completed his UEFA Pro badge, Scaloni has "you know I that I appreciate him".

De La Fuente said he would call Scaloni to wish him luck in the final were Spain to lose its semifinal against France and Argentina get past England. Instead, that call is waiting, with the brief, public hug serving as the only contact between the managers.

Yet, for all the love and goodwill, the Argentine manager doesn't feel either has any extra insight because of their relationship.

Ball is life

Scaloni has been watching De la Fuente's team somewhat intensely since December, not only scouting potential World Cup opponents but also getting ready for what they thought would be a showdown between the two teams in March.

The Finalissima, a meeting between the champions of Europe and South America, was set to take place in Qatar, but the Iran War made it impossible to play that match there. After neither side could agree on a different neutral site that suited, Argentina played a pair of African teams in March while Spain hosted Serbia and Egypt.

"He knows me as a person. We know each other well. We’re friends and all, but he doesn’t know what I think about soccer - what we do know is how his team plays and he he knows how mine plays," Scaloni said. "We haven’t been talking about each person’s pattern of play, but it’s evident the pattern of soccer in both team is evident. Each one with the ball, with some structures, attacking in one way or another but yes with the ball.

"I think in that we do have patterns, we try to be more strong with the ball. In this sense, it’s true we’re similar, so we hope Sunday is a good spectacle and above all the fans enjoy and it be a good soccer match."

Scaloni had his ideas about those patterns before working with De La Fuente in 2017 at Spain's Las ​Rozas academy for coaches, and he has since worked with other coaches who influenced his style, notably working under former Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli as an assistant with both club and country.

Still, as Scaloni finished his coaching badges in Spain, his work with De La Fuente left an influence on him - and it's no coincidence Argentina and Spain arrive in the final as two teams with similar styles.

De la Fuente certainly has a fondness for Scaloni, even if he hopes to ruin his former pupil's day Sunday.

"We’re both hopeful. We’ve got a great relationship. We’re two great competitors. We know what soccer is, that we’re going to go out to win our game," De La Fuente said in a news conference Friday. "But, at the same time, we know we’re very happy to be able to face each other. There’s a mutual admiration, a recognition that we show each other in the conversations we have."

Scaloni, De La Fuente don't bring success in club game

The two men have another link: Neither havehad any sustained experience at the club level. At this point, it seems likely the 65-year-old De la Fuente wouldn't pick up another role with the day-in, day-out grind of the European club game. Scaloni, trying to win a second World Cup title at the age of 48, will soon transition into the club game - potentially in Spain where he played 200 matches with Deportivo La Coruña.

This sets them apart from many strivers who did not reach this point - from Thomas Tuchel and Didier Deschamps who will coaches the third-place game, from U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino, from new Portugal boss Jorge Jesus. Both men have worked in player development, focusing on how to get young players to reach their full potential.

Those skills have translated well to the international game, where contact with players is infrequent. What can be more critical is making sure players feel comfortable, confident in themselves and in a game plan they may have had just two days to analyze and train.

The World Cup final has involved much more planning than that, with the managers unwittingly starting their battle of wits years earlier.

The hug they share after the final will almost certainly have a surreal feeling as well. Scaloni would be trying to take in the fact he has solidified his place as the best national team coach in the history of a country with more than its share of great managers, De la Fuente would be absorbing the culmination of his project, having won the U-19, U-21 and then senior European championships with this group and getting to the very pinnacle of the sport.

It will be the time for tears, for a quick hug. That catch-up will come one of these days.

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