[Saba Sports News] The 2026 World Cup final recently concluded at MetLife Stadium, with Spain sealing a 1-0 extra-time winner over Argentina to claim the championship. Yet tensions boiled over immediately after the final whistle, as players from both sides became embroiled in a fierce physical altercation. While Spain’s players were celebrating wildly, Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes lost his cool and suddenly lunged to grab Spanish defender Eric García Martret by the neck. Young Argentine talent Thiago Almada rushed to restrain the furious Paredes, only for Paredes to grab Gavi, who had stepped over to remonstrate, and shove him forcefully to the turf. With a mass brawl imminent, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni sprinted onto the pitch without delay and pulled his agitated players apart by force. Separately, a heated verbal exchange erupted between Argentine veteran Nicolás Otamendi and Spain captain Rodri. When Rodri walked forward to offer a handshake, Otamendi rejected the gesture outright and snapped angrily at him: “You and Aymeric Laporte cried for an entire week!”
After the match, World Cup officials released a statement explaining what sparked the altercation. The trouble all began with Argentine player Nahuel Molina. As Spain’s players rushed onto the pitch to celebrate, Molina threw a punch at Rodri. Rodri then confronted Molina, triggering the full-scale scuffle that followed. For Argentina, this final will be remembered for the tears of Paredes, the rage of Nicolás Otamendi, and above all, the lonely, poignant silhouette of Lionel Messi sitting on the grass and taking off his boots.