Lamine Yamal and Spain could follow Messi’s formula to lift the World Cup

L

uis de la Fuente had nothing but praise for Lionel Messi before the World Cup final.

While speaking about the Argentina captain,

the Spain coach highlighted several qualities that also happen to define his own squad

heading into Sunday's showdown.

De la Fuente said Messi still plays with the energy of a 19 or 23-year-old. Coincidentally,

Spain arrives at the final with one of the youngest squads in the tournament.

La Roja has an average age of 26.1 years, compared to Argentina's 28.5,

a figure that Messi himself helps raise. Having fresher legs could become one of Spain's biggest assets.

A young squad that has already passed every test

The Spain coach also praised Messi's maturity and experience

, but his own players have shown plenty of character despite their age.

Lamine Yamal has already delivered against top opponents, including France

, proving he can handle the biggest stages.

Yamal has repeatedly insisted that pressure does not exist for him and that he simply enjoys playing football. That mindset could become one of Spain's biggest strengths in the final.

Alongside him, players like Pedro Porro have stepped up in decisive moments, while Dani Olmo has consistently responded whenever the team has needed him the most.

De la Fuente also described Messi as tireless and insatiable. Those are qualities Spain has displayed throughout the tournament as well.

Despite relying on a younger generation, La Roja has shown that trusting emerging talent can produce a team capable of competing with anyone.

Argentina's biggest lesson

One of the strongest messages from De la Fuente's interview came when he spoke about Messi's mentality

. The Spain coach explained that for players like the Argentine captain, being two goals behind or spending an entire match trailing changes

nothing as long as the belief and the work remain the same.

That is something Argentina has demonstrated throughout the World Cup. Several of its biggest victories have arrived in the closing minutes because the team refuses to stop competing.

They have shown there is no such thing as a won or lost match until the final whistle.

England experienced that firsthand.

After taking the lead, they dropped deeper believing one goal would be enough to book a place in the final. Argentina and Messi thought otherwise,

fighting until the very end to turn the match around.

Listening to De la Fuente,

it is hard not to notice how closely he has followed Argentina's World Cup run

.

Many of the qualities he admired in Messi—youthful energy, resilience, maturity and the refusal to give up—are already present within his own squad.

If Spain manages to match those traits on the pitch,

it could have the formula needed to challenge the reigning world champions.