After Spain's senior football team defeated France on Tuesday, and before Argentina completed their comeback against England to reach the other World Cup final the following day, De la Fuente surprised by saying he would be 'happy' to face Argentina. It was not because the 65-year-old coach saw an easier path to glory. Quite the opposite. His reply was based on a friendship and relationship that began years ago at the Spanish Football Federation's training academy in Las Rozas, where De la Fuente was a lecturer and Lionel Scaloni was one of his students. That was in 2017, two years after Scaloni ended his playing career. De la Fuente, then the coach of Spain's youth teams, was among those who guided the former player through his first steps in coaching. Neither man, at that stage, could have imagined that the lessons from Las Rozas would one day echo all the way to a World Cup final. Scaloni spoke warmly about that period and his relationship with De la Fuente at the Copa America last year. Scaloni said before Argentina's quarterfinal match against Ecuador: 'Luis was a great help to all of us who attended the training course in Las Rozas. I spoke with him, and I wish him all the best.' The admiration was not one-sided. De la Fuente described Scaloni as a 'professor,' an unexpected title for a former student, but fitting for the man who led Argentina to global and continental success. Scaloni stated during the tournament, which coincided with Euro 2024, 'I want Spain to do well in the European Championship, and he helped us players who attended the training course in Las Rozas a lot. I like his way of managing things and how the players give their best for him.' Both coaches went on to win their respective continental titles. Now they meet again, not in a classroom, but in a match where the biggest prize in football is at stake. Scaloni's connection to Spain goes beyond obtaining coaching certificates. His partner Elisa Montero, whom he met in 2008, is Spanish, and his children were born in Spain, and he lives in Palma de Mallorca. He also spent several seasons playing in Spanish football, representing Deportivo La Coruña, Racing Santander, and Mallorca. Scaloni added, 'Part of my family is Spanish, and of course, I support Spain in the European Championship.' Speaking on Tuesday, after Spain's win and on the eve of Argentina's semifinal against England, Scaloni gave an early glimpse of the mixture of friendship and competitiveness that now characterizes the final. Scaloni continued in Atlanta on Tuesday, 'I am happy for him. He deserves it. He is a wonderful man. Everything we see in his national team, we hope to see in ours. If things don't go well for us, I will call him. But if we play against him in the final... no. Let's hope I don't receive any call until after the final.' It seems no phone calls will be made until Sunday, as talk of emotions will have to wait. Spain and Argentina have already dominated their continents. Now, the professor and his student must find out who has maintained his superiority.