Meet the glamorous Spanish Wag and former volleyball player who will be cheering on Argentina in World Cup final

LIONEL SCALONI has made Argentina a force to be reckoned with in international.ootball. The 48-year-old took over as Argentina boss in 2018, but since then has guided them to two Copa America titles and the 2022 World Cup with the chance of winning it back to back at the New York New Jersey Stadium against Spain. Lionel Scaloni’s wife, Elisa, will be cheering on Argentina in the World Cup final Credit: Reuters Elisa made a rare public appearance after Scaloni led Argentina to winning the World Cup in 2022 Credit: Dave Shopland Elisa and Scaloni met when he was a player in Spain Credit: Getty The couple have two sons together Credit: Alamy However, behind the former assistant to Jorge Sampaoli is former volleyball star Elisa Montero. Scaloni experienced love at first sight when he met Elisa while he was on loan at Spanish football club Mallorca, months before he was due to return to Lazio. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! He has recalled that initially she was reserved and not immediately receptive to conversation, and he had to ask around for her contact information to track her down – which was a three-month ordeal for him. But their romance soon blossomed as they got to know one another before he asked her to drop everything and go to Italy with him. In an interview with ESPN, he revealed: “I met Elisa two months before returning to Lazio. I was 31 and she was 29. “She played volleyball and I told her: ‘I like you, but I have to go back to Italy. What are you doing? Do you want to come with me?’. “The next day she told me yes, she would drop everything and come with me. We went to Rome and we’ve been together for 15 years.” That brave decision has ended up with the love-struck couple making a loving family life together with two sons, Ian born in 2012 and Noah born in 2016, back at their home in Mallorca. Most read in Sport CLICK ON PIC FOR STAR’S PROFILE Elisa stays out of the public eye, with public appearances few and far between – with the couple even holding a secret wedding in May 2018 – while she refuses to give interviews. She is originally from Andalusia in Spain, and was born in 1980. And while she often keeps a low-profile away from the spotlight, she has remained an ever-present figure behind Scaloni as his stock in football has skyrocketed. But Elisa and their two sons were together with Scaloni after Argentina’s World Cup victory in Qatar in 2022. Sunday’s final could represent a conflict of interests for Elisa, with her home country Spain facing off with the team her husband is managing, Argentina. Comment now