Leandro Paredes shares his thoughts on Argentina’s future after the tough moments in the World Cup final.
Leandro Paredes has opened up about his future with Argentina after some rough moments during the World Cup final in New Jersey.
Spain won the World Cup for the second time on Sunday, thanks to Ferran Torres’ winning goal in extra time. The win felt well deserved since Argentina only managed three shots on goal in 120 minutes and finished the game with ten players.
Enzo Fernandez was sent off after getting two careless yellow cards, and after the final whistle, emotions ran high, leading to some tense scenes on the field.
Paredes came on as a substitute in the second half and was booked during the match. But after the game, he was shown a second yellow card and sent off for grabbing Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat and wrestling Gavi to the ground. FIFA later corrected that it was a mistake to give him the second yellow card, and the sending off was canceled.
He might still face a three-match suspension for violent conduct once FIFA looks into it. Three days after the final, Paredes finally spoke out.
“THANK YOU ARGENTINA!! I LOVE YOU TODAY AND ALWAYS,” he wrote on Instagram to his 15 million followers.
“Today I write with a heavy heart because we couldn’t give you the joy our country deserves. But I’m so proud we gave everything and raised our flag high once again! Thanks to everyone who was part of this team — these players gave their all until the very last second! It was an honor to be part of the best Argentine national team in history!!”
While he didn’t mention his behavior after the match, Paredes has since talked about what’s next for him. Argentina’s squad is getting older, and Paredes is part of that group.
Currently playing for Boca Juniors, he has played 84 times for Argentina, including seven during the World Cup. The tournament was tough both physically and emotionally, making him think about his future with the national team.
“It’s been an amazing journey. It will be hard to keep this level and keep the team working well,” Paredes said. “Decisions need to be made calmly. I’m not sure yet if I’m fit to continue. It’s something I need to think about carefully.”
He seems to be thinking about retiring from international football. Paredes also shared that Argentina’s match against Spain might have been Lionel Messi’s last.
“It hurts because we said all through the World Cup — we didn’t want this to be his last game,” Paredes said about Messi’s future. “I think he had already decided that this would be his final match for the national team.”
If Paredes does retire now, after losing the final and those difficult moments, it would be a sad way to end his time with Argentina. Since his debut in 2017, he’s scored five goals for La Albiceleste.