By Alfredo Echenique Lugo
04 Jul 2024, 16:43 PM EDT
The Argentine national team will play an important quarter-final match of the Copa América against Ecuador on Thursday to determine the first semi-finalist of the tournament. The Albiceleste will seek to defend their title won in Brazil in 2021 under the leadership of Lionel Scaloni.
But despite being focused on this important Copa America match, the Argentine coach seems to have time to closely follow the Euro Cup, a tournament that is being played simultaneously and which is also in the quarter-final stage.
Scaloni even recently announced his favourite to win the Euro Cup in the press conference prior to Thursday’s match at the NRG Stadium in Houston against Ecuador.
The young coach from Santa Fe called on his blood to guide him when choosing his favourite to win the Euro Cup. He said that he wants Spain to do well and he gives it as a candidate because of his ancestors of this nationality.
“I want Spain to do well. Part of my family is Spanish and La Roja is doing very well. I am supporting Spain and they deserve everything,” said the world champion with Argentina in Qatar 2022.
For Scaloni, there is even an extra factor that makes him empathize with the Spanish national team and that is that Luis de la Fuente, current coach of “La Roja”, was the Argentine’s teacher when he started in the world of technical directors.
“De la Fuente was my teacher in the coaching course in 2017 and he gave us a huge hand. He is a great guy and it is a pleasure to see how he handles himself,” he concluded, praising the experienced Spanish coach.
Even Scaloni could achieve a feat that, so far, only the Spanish national team has been able to achieve: winning consecutive continental cups (Euro or Copa America), World Cups and another continental cup.
Spain achieved it with Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and repeated it with Euro 2012. While Argentina won the 2020 Copa América, the 2022 World Cup and could now win the 2024 Copa América again to emulate what Spain achieved.
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