Spanish coach De La Fuente loves Messi.

"Spain coach Luis de la Fuente chose Lionel Messi when asked to name a player he would like to 'sign' for his country virtually," British outlet Goal.com reported on Nov. 13 (KST).

De la Fuente claimed that Messi is the perfect player to join the national team. Despite playing in the MLS at the age of 36, de la Fuente said that out of all the players in the world, the World Cup winner is the best player he could "sign" for Spain.

However, de la Fuente was hesitant to name Messi as the greatest player of all time, instead opting for Barcelona and Netherlands legend Johan Cruyff.

In an interview with Movistar Football, De La Fuente answered a few simple questions. When asked "who is the best player of all time," he simply replied, "Johan Cruyff. Then, when asked who he would like to have in the Spanish national team, he laughed and said, "Lionel Messi. Am I being too cliché?" he said.

De la Fuente might have gotten his wish if Messi had chosen to play for Spain instead of Argentina. Messi was eligible to play for Spain through his great-grandfather, who was born in Balaguer, Spain, but he chose Argentina.

De la Fuente is not the first person to want Messi to play for Spain. "Mariano Fernia, a former Atletico Madrid and Spain international defender, said that Messi would have made a bigger impact if he had chosen to play for Spain," soccer outlet Tribuna reported on Feb. 2.

In a recent interview with FlashScore, Pernia reflected on various aspects of his soccer career some 12 years after hanging up his cleats. Like Messi, Fernia was born and raised in Argentina, but unlike Messi, he chose to play for Spain. In 2006, he shared a locker room with players like Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, and Carles Puyol. Pernia is convinced that Messi would have made an even bigger impact if they had played together in the national team.

"There was a time in Argentina when Messi was criticized a lot," says Fernia. There were even calls for him not to play in the World Cup. After we lost the 2014 final, there were calls for him to step down, which was 토토사이트 ridiculous. I always said, 'If Messi had chosen to play for the Spanish national team, he would have already experienced two World Cups,'" he said.

"Without a doubt, the World Cup that Spain won in 2010 would have been Messi's, and the next World Cup would have been won because Messi was in his prime. If Messi had chosen to play for the Spanish national team, he would have won two World Cups early in his career."