Argentina star shown red card after the game for a shocking act as Spain wins the World Cup
Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes was shown a red card for his unacceptable behavior after the 2026 World Cup final.
After 104 matches, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has come to an end, and Spain are the champions following a 1-0 win over Argentina.
The final wasn’t the most exciting, but a goal from Ferran Torres in the second half of extra time was enough to secure the victory at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Even though there was only one goal during the 120 minutes, there was plenty of drama. Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez was sent off near the end of regular time after getting a second yellow card for a rough challenge on Pau Cubarsi.
In extra time, Lionel Messi tried to inspire his team, even asking for Real Madrid’s Marc Cucurella to be sent off for talking while covering his mouth.
But the biggest drama happened after the final whistle. Paredes was shown a red card for a shocking moment where he grabbed Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat and threw punches at the young Spain player Gavi.
On ITV, Gary Neville said, “He’s a disgrace. He was lucky not to be sent off during the game. I respect how competitive the Argentinians are and what they’ve done in this tournament, fighting hard every match. But Paredes has been a problem the last couple of games, and the referees let it go too long.”
The referee, Slavko Vincic, didn’t hesitate to send Paredes off right away.
BBC’s Alan Shearer added, “Paredes threw several punches. That’s just not acceptable. We know how much it means to them and how painful losing can be, but there’s a right way to handle it. Too often we see reactions like this from Argentina, and it’s disappointing.”
But Paredes wasn’t the only one getting criticized. US President Trump was also called out for his behavior during Spain’s trophy celebration. After handing medals to both teams, Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino brought the World Cup trophy to Spain captain Rodri.
As Rodri and his teammates got ready to lift the trophy, Trump stayed on the podium, making sure he was part of the celebration.
One fan on X wrote, “Donald Trump proves once again why he’s a piece of s***. Trying to steal the spotlight from Spain lifting the World Cup.” Another added, “Trump does it again, refusing to leave the podium after giving the trophy to Spain. He loves drama.”
This wasn’t the first time Trump acted like this — he behaved similarly after Chelsea’s win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup last year, making sure he was involved in the trophy celebrations then too.