Argentina's players turned their backs on Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday as the newly crowned world champions lifted the World Cup trophy, capping a bad-tempered final that ended in a brawl.
Spain, managed by Luis de la Fuente, beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time, with Barcelona forward Ferran Torres scoring the winning goal in the 106th minute. It was Spain's second World Cup title, following their first in 2010, and left Lionel Messi, 39, in tears at the final whistle.
Argentina's players, coaching staff and other personnel collected their silver medals from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump, but declined to watch as Spain lifted the trophy, despite this being customary at major tournament finals. Instead they walked to the end of the stadium where most of their fans were sitting and turned their backs as Spain celebrated amid gold confetti.
Full-time brawl
The snub came after ugly scenes at full time, when a brawl broke out as Spain's substitutes and staff ran onto the pitch to celebrate. Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes was sent off for punching Eric Garcia and pushing Gavi to the ground. Nahuel Molina hit Rodri in the torso as he ran past, and Thiago Almada was also involved. Argentina had played an aggressive, physical style throughout the tournament, including in their semi-final win over England.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez had already been sent off in the 93rd minute for a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsi. Fernandez then complained about the dismissal, despite the foul being clear, and tried to get Chelsea team-mate Marc Cucurella sent off for covering his mouth while talking to Messi. New rules state players who cover their mouths while speaking to an opponent must be dismissed, though replays showed Cucurella was scratching his nose.
Paredes was also fortunate to avoid a second yellow card in regular time for a foul on the edge of the box that gave Lamine Yamal a late free-kick before extra time. Argentina had only two shots in the entire match, and the first did not arrive until the 117th minute.
Otamendi and Rodri exchange
According to DAZN Spain, Argentina defender Nicolas Otamendi confronted Rodri after the match over pre-match comments from Spain's players about officiating concerns. The Manchester City midfielder had raised those concerns before the final, after Argentina benefited from a series of questionable decisions in the tournament's build-up.
"You and [Aymeric] Laporte. Both of you," Otamendi said to Rodri, according to footage shared by DAZN Spain. Rodri replied: "You spent the time crying and complaining about the referees, my friend. But you shouldn't have spoken before the match, you know that? Didn't you see what he said this week?"
Trump takes centre stage
An estimated 1.5 to 1.8 billion viewers watched the final, which saw Trump take centre stage during the trophy lift. The US President refused to step aside for the Spanish players' moment and stood alongside the squad as they celebrated. Infantino appeared to try to usher Trump away from the players, but he stayed put, clapping and grinning to the side of the team as confetti cannons fired inside the stadium.
Loud boos rang out from the stands when Infantino and Trump walked onto the pitch. Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero was seen collecting his medal from Infantino before walking past Trump on stage without acknowledging him, in a video that quickly went viral.
Trump presented Spain captain Rodri with the World Cup trophy and handed out three individual awards: the Young Player of the Tournament to Pau Cubarsi, the Golden Glove to goalkeeper Unai Simon, and the Golden Ball to Rodri.
Trump's earlier NATO criticism of Spain
Trump's role presenting the trophy carried some irony after he attacked Spain at a UN summit earlier in July for not contributing enough to NATO. "Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate. They don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits," he had said. "Don't even talk to them. They're hopeless, bad people."
Flying back to the United States on Air Force One after the final, Trump said Spain had worked to improve its standing with him. "I did have issues, and I still do. But Spain, they came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today," he said. "They honored a request for lots of payments, and if they didn't, we wouldn't have even talked to them."
VIPs at MetLife Stadium
Trump and his wife Melania watched the match from a packed stadium suite alongside Infantino, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Trump shook hands with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as Infantino stood beside them, and was also greeted by Spain's Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI.
Argentina President Javier Milei watched the game from home due to "superstition," according to a report by The New York Times. Inside the suite, Infantino posed for pictures with Trump's son Eric Trump, his wife Lara, and their children, while Trump's son Barron Trump also attended.
Half-time show criticised
The final featured a 27-minute half-time show with performances from Madonna, Coldplay, Justin Bieber, The Muppets and Shakira.
Former England striker Wayne Rooney criticised the show live on the BBC. "To be honest, mine was when it finished. I like a lot of those artists but to be honest I thought it was c**p," he said. "I did honestly. It just didn't get me going, I wanted the football to be back on. It was a bit flat. I like Burna Boy, I like Shakira, I like Bieber but that was too flat."