Argentina football coach Lionel Scaloni on Futsal Champions League finals in Palma

Palma’s qualification for the UEFA Futsal Champions League finals has caused quite a buzz on the island, and one famous fan in particular can’t wait for kick-off.

Lionel Scaloni led Argentina to victory in football's FIFA World Cup in December and the Palma resident now has eyes on silverware of a different kind – namely the biggest prize in club futsal.

Football may be the 44-year-old’s premier passion, but the former right-back – who spent a decade of his playing career in Spain with Deportivo La Coruña, Real Racing Club and Mallorca – is a big fan of the small-sided game. “It’s an incredible sport,” he said in making the Futsal Champions League finals draw in Palma, hosting the showpiece even after making the last four on debut.

Scaloni, indeed, was in the stands when Palma beat Jaén in a thrilling Spanish league play-off semi-final last summer to earn their European bow. With the perspective of a fan and a coach, Scaloni knows exactly how a grounding in futsal can help a footballer’s development.

“It’s directly linked to association and 11-a side professional football, although we may not consider it," he said. "We’ve come to several conclusions. In fact, in football it is becoming more common to see teams try to create numerical superiority with the goalkeeper, as is frequently seen in futsal. We also play one-on-one all the time.

Scaloni made the finals draw in PalmaAdrià Mascaró via Federació Futbol de les Illes Balears

"I came [to watch Palma] because I am a fan, but I was also interested in watching it closely so that I could form my own opinion. And I think it is quite interesting. We are proud to have a team like Palma Futsal and it’s a pleasure to be able to come and see the team and support them."

And as far as Scaloni is concerned, the sooner kids can get involved, the more they will benefit from exposure to the sport. "It’s essential," he says. "If I were five or six years old, I would start off playing futsal. It’s vital that the kids get lots of touches of the ball for the development of technique. Both [sports] could be mixed. In fact, I think it should be like that and everybody should take this as an example, because I’m sure there would be better players with better technique and they would understand the sport much better."

Futsal is hugely popular in South America: Argentina are the reigning continental champions and won the 2016 Futsal World Cup, with Brazil having claimed both titles multiple times. Plenty of Scaloni’s football World Cup winners started out on the futsal court.

"Many of the Argentina team began playing futsal," he says. "The midfielders, above all, are players who get many touches of the ball and many of them began playing in different neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires and around the country. If I had to mention just one, you all know who I would choose. I think he plays all sports well. I have the same name as him ..."

This article is from the Futsal Champions League finals programme: Read for free now.