NEW YORK, July 16 (Reuters) - Spain swept aside France, Argentina scrambled past England and the World Cup final has been handed a scriptwriter's dream: European champions against world and South American champions, with a teacher and his old pupil in opposite technical areas.
Luis de la Fuente's Spain will try to deliver the country's second World Cup, 16 years after their first in South Africa, while Lionel Scaloni's Argentina are seeking to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back world crowns.
Yet beyond the familiar heavyweight billing, Sunday's final carries a more personal twist.
After Spain's 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday, and before Argentina had completed their comeback 2-1 win against England in the second semi-final the following day, De la Fuente raised eyebrows by saying he would be "delighted" to face Argentina.
It was not because the 65-year-old viewed them as an easier route to glory. Quite the opposite. His answer was rooted in friendship and a relationship forged years ago at the Spanish Football Association's (RFEF) coaching academy in Las Rozas, where De la Fuente was a tutor and Scaloni one of his students.
It happened in 2017, two years after Scaloni ended his playing career. De la Fuente, then in charge of Spain's youth teams, was among the figures who helped guide a recently retired player taking his first steps towards management.
Neither man could have imagined the lessons of Las Rozas would one day echo all the way to a World Cup final.
Scaloni spoke warmly about that period and his bond with De la Fuente at the 2024 Copa America.
"Luis has been a huge help to those of us who did the coaching course in Las Rozas. I've had chats with him and I wish him all the best," Scaloni said before Argentina's Copa America quarter-final win over Ecuador.
The admiration has not flowed only one way. De la Fuente has described Scaloni as a master, an unlikely title for a former pupil but a fitting one for the man who guided Argentina to global and continental success.
"I want Spain to do well (at the Euros) and he helped us lads who did the (coaching) course in Las Rozas a great deal. I like the way he manages things and how the players give their all for him," Scaloni said during the tournament, which coincided with the 2024 European Championship.
Both managers would go on to lift the respective continental trophies. Now they meet again, not in a classroom, but with the biggest prize in football at stake.
SCALONI'S SPAIN CONNECTION
Scaloni's connection with Spain runs deeper than coaching badges. His wife Elisa Montero, who he met in 2008, is Spanish, their children were born in Spain and they live in Mallorca.
Scaloni, now 48, also spent several seasons playing in Spain at Deportivo La Coruna, Racing Santander and Mallorca.
"Part of my family is Spanish and, naturally, I'm supporting Spain (at the Euros)," Scaloni said in 2024.
Speaking on Tuesday, after Spain reached the final and on the eve of Argentina's semi-final, Scaloni gave a preview of the warmth — and competitive edge — that now frames the final.
"I'm happy for him (De la Fuente). He deserves it. He's a great bloke. Everything we see in his national team is what we hope to see in ours," Scaloni said in Atlanta.
"If things don't go well for us, I'll give him a call. If we play against him in the final ... no. Let's hope there's no call until after the final ..."
There will now likely be no phone call until Sunday, so sentiment must wait. Master and apprentice must first find out who has kept the better notes as they prepare for the final.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ken Ferris)
