As the last whistle sounded, Leandro Paredes ran towards the Spanish players. He pushed Erik García and Gavi one after another and even threw a punch. The Spanish players were celebrating their win while the Argentine players fell into a disorganized fight, transforming the World Cup final field into a scene of physical conflict. The referee immediately showed Paredes a red card.
Argentina faced a painful outcome on July 20 following a 0-1 defeat to Spain in extra time during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final held in New Jersey, USA. Two players were shown red cards in the same final, making it the second instance in history where Argentina had two ejections in a World Cup championship match. Out of the seven players who have been sent off in World Cup finals, two came from this game.
Numerous critics accused Paredes of “losing both the championship and his composure” following his refusal to acknowledge defeat and his subsequent use of violence. Paredes, along with Rodrigo De Paul, is recognized as one of Messi’s “protectors” within the Argentine national team. He consistently challenged opponents who aggressively targeted Lionel Messi, relieving the pressure on the star through intense physicality and tackles. Nevertheless, his aggressive nature sometimes led to actions that went beyond control.
A notable instance occurred during the 2022 Qatar World Cup quarterfinal match against the Netherlands. Paredes made a harsh tackle on Nathan Aké and kicked the ball aggressively towards the Dutch team’s bench. Enraged Dutch players ran onto the pitch, leading to a significant confrontation. Although he was only given a caution at that moment, this time he was shown a red card for not managing his frustration even after the game had concluded.
Prior to Paredes, Enzo Fernández also received a red card. With a yellow card already in his possession, Fernández committed a dangerous late challenge against Pau Cubarsí during added time. The official immediately issued a second yellow card. As he exited the pitch, Fernández kicked a broadcasting microphone that was on the ground.
Paredes and Fernández joined the ranks of the sixth and seventh players in World Cup final history to receive a red card. Earlier instances of red cards in finals featured Pedro Monzón and Gustavo Dezotti (both from Argentina) during the 1990 Italy World Cup, Marcel Desailly (France) at the 1998 France World Cup, Zinedine Zidane (France) in the 2006 Germany World Cup, and Johan Heitinga (Netherlands) at the 2010 South Africa World Cup.
This was the second instance in which Argentina had two players sent off in a single World Cup final. In 1990, Monzón and Dezotti were also shown red cards during the match against West Germany. Thirty-six years later, the same embarrassment occurred again. Four out of the seven players who have been sent off in World Cup finals are from Argentina.
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