Spain's head coach Luis de la Fuente, right, and his Argentina counterpart Lionel Scaloni embrace at a fan event ahead of the Fifa World Cup final.
Lionel Scaloni paid tribute to Lionel Messi ahead of Sunday's World Cup final, urging fans to cherish what will likely be the Argentina captain's last appearance on football's biggest stage.
Argentina will bid to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cup trophies since Brazil in 1962 when they meet Spain in the title decider in New Jersey.
"He is pure history. He is a legend," Scaloni said. "For him to reach a final at thirty-nine years of age is something unbelievable. That's why I say we must enjoy him."
Scaloni said Messi's achievement was made more meaningful by the absence of Diego Maradona, who led Argentina to the title in 1986. Widely regarded as one of the game's greatest players, Maradona died in 2020 at the age of sixty.
