Argentina’s players turned last night’s World Cup final into one of the most controversial in recent years by humiliating themselves with their shameful antics.
From the hot-headed Enzo Fernandez getting himself a second yellow card for a shocking late challenge, to Leandro Paredes going from footballer to amateur boxer after the final whistle, it’s hard to think of too many games where a team has embarrassed themselves to such a degree.
The remarkable meltdown, which also saw superstar Lionel Messi and manager Lionel Scaloni reduced of tears after full time, was mirrored back home in Argentina, where fans began rioting in the streets.
Here we take a look at one of football’s most outrageous collective tantrums….
Playground punches followed by tears
After not laying a glove on Spain on the pitch, fans were left gobsmacked as Argentina’s classless stars attempted to take chunks out of their opponents after the final whistle blew.
Former PSG man Leandro Paredes – who was lucky to dodge a red card during the match for a litany of on and off the ball incidents – lead the embarrassing carnage by setting upon several Spain stars as they celebrated their historic victory.
Speaking on the BBC, Alan Shearer said: “Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone’s face. He went for them. There is no place or space for that.
“We know how much it means to them and we know how much it hurts to lose, but there is a way to lose. Too many times we have seen that from Argentina. The reaction after the final whistle is terrible!”
The Boca Juniors midfielder reportedly kicked Spain centre back Eric Garcia while he was on the floor, before landing a wild punch on the former Man City defender once he had returned to his feet.
Paredes was by no means alone in the shameful display, with Atletico Madrid fullback Nahuel Molina and others also reportedly trying to land blows on the celebrating Spaniards.
The violence was followed up buckets and buckets of tears, with Lionel Messi leading the waterworks at full-time. Manager Lionel Scaloni was also in tears during his post-match press conference, having to leave the room after becoming overwhelmed with emotion.
Riots back home
Mirroring the reaction of their players, Argentinian fans back at home turned to violence following their team’s humbling defeat to Spain.
Local news outlets reported violent skirmishes between furious supporters and the police, with bottles and rocks being thrown at officers in the capital Buenos Aires.
According to Argentine news site Cronica, at least 15 people were arrested in the capital, while seven police officers sustained injuries from the violent fans.
Two male fans, aged 26 and 24, were also hospitalised during the final after suffering alcohol poisoning, although both are now said to be back at home.
Falklands curse
Argentinian fans were not immune from the national meltdown, with some online claiming their nation had been cursed after their players Falklands flag stunt against England.
The incident, which saw a number of players wave a flag saying Los Malvina son Argentinas (The Falklands are Argentine), enraged fans here in the UK, with many arguing that players should receive a ban for the political stunt.
But it was the Argentina fans who were complaining at the end of the final, with some saying the flag had cursed the players, with others arguing it had pushed FIFA to referee the game unfavourably.
On X, one user wrote: “II reckon it was the Malvinas flag bill and the other thing that the Yankees used us again… it doesn’t add up to me that we played the final so badly,”
Another blamed the English for their loss, posting: “For me, the Malvinas flag thing wasn’t without cost. The English have a lot of weight and they weren’t going to let that box on the ear slide.”
Other users pointed out that two of the players who had reportedly held the flag, Enzo Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez, had gone on to have total stinkers in the final suggesting some sort of karma or curse.
One user wrote: “Karma for Lisandro Martinez for carrying that banner at full time against England”.
Presidential mistake
The bonkers reaction to the result went right to the very top, with eccentric Argentina president Javier Milei seemingly tweeting as if his side had won the tournament.
The tweet appeared to promise a Bank Holiday if Argentina became World Champions, although the post was uploaded hours after the full-time whistle.
Some internet wags claimed Milei had scheduled the tweet expecting his side to win, only to forget to delete when things did not go Argentina’s way.
Writing on X, the leader penned after the fulltime whistle: “WORLD CELEBRATION Given the concern about the celebrations for the achievement reached by the Argentine National Team,
“I inform the population that, depending on what the Players and the Technical Staff decide regarding the day to celebrate, it will be declared a national holiday.”
Unsurprisingly, the apparent blunder was met with ridicule in the comments, with one user simply writing: “historical ridicule”.
Another added: “The President of Argentina forgot to unschedule his victory tweet. There is no celebration – Argentina lost.”