One Argentina player stood out with great sportsmanship while Spain celebrated winning the World Cup.
One Argentine player has been praised for choosing not to act disrespectfully after the World Cup final.
Argentina couldn’t keep their title in New York/New Jersey, as Ferran Torres scored in extra time to give Spain their second World Cup win.
After the game, Argentina faced heavy criticism when Leandro Paredes aggressively pushed Spain’s Gavi to the ground. Nahuel Molina, Thiago Almada, and assistant coach Roberto Ayala also got involved in the heated moment.
Paredes even grabbed Eric Garcia by the throat and seemed to get sent off. But later, FIFA removed the red card from their records, and no further punishment is expected.
While many condemned Paredes’ actions, one Argentine player stood out for going against team orders during Spain’s trophy celebration.
As Rodri lifted the World Cup, almost every Argentina player and staff member turned their backs on the stage — except Jose Manuel Lopez, who stayed facing Spain’s celebrations.
Lopez didn’t play in the final but made a big difference earlier in the tournament by helping Julian Alvarez score the winning goal against Switzerland in the quarter-final.
Fans praised Lopez online.
One said, “Respect to José Manuel López, the only Argentine player who didn’t turn his back on Spain’s victory.”
Another wrote, “Even though his teammates looked away, López watched the Spaniards celebrate. He showed respect for the result and the Spanish team. That’s true sportsmanship.”
A third added, “The only Argentine with good manners on that team of sore losers was José Manuel López, and he deserves a round of applause.”
Someone else shared, “While the whole team looked away, Lopez kept his eyes on the new champions. His respectful gesture says a lot — winning or losing, respect is always important.”
Though his team faced criticism, head coach Lionel Scaloni defended them, saying they showed a “great example” by teaching people “how to lose.”
He told TYC, “We’re great when we win, and we should be great when we lose. We accept the loss and gave everything we had. We reached a very important moment. If players leave it all out there like today, it’s a great example for our country. Losing is part of the game, and you must get back up.”
Scaloni, who has been coaching Argentina since 2018, is expected to step down later this year. Meanwhile, the futures of stars Lionel Messi and Emi Martinez are still up in the air.