You don’t want to see it in the finals, experts say. Lionel Messi is facing huge criticism

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is now in the past and Spain is the new world champion. Although Spain dominated throughout the match, the EURO 2024 champions needed 106 minutes to score the winner, which Ferran Torres provided in the second extra time.

This goal will remain the most memorable moment of the final, which was a far cry from the dramatic showdown we witnessed four years ago in Qatar.

However, it was not the only tense moment in the match. Argentina’s Enzo Fernández was sent off in the final minutes of regulation time after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Pau Cubarsí.

Later in the game, Messi tried to even the power on the pitch again when he insisted that the Spanish player should also be sent off. This happened after Marc Cucurella approached the football legend to speak to him while covering his mouth.

As has been shown several times over the summer, any player who covers his mouth with his hand, forearm or jersey during a confrontation can receive a red card.

Earlier in the tournament, Miguel Almirón from Paraguay and Piero Hincapié from Ecuador were expelled for similar offences.

In this case, Cucurella was seen talking to Messi, briefly covering his mouth before lowering his hand.

Messi immediately began gesticulating towards match referee Slavko Vinčič and insisted that the defender be sent off.

However, the rules say that a player should only be sent off if malicious words were exchanged, and in this case it was ruled that there had not been.

It is for this reason that several other players have been seen covering their mouths during non-confrontational conversations, often between teammates, without resulting in red cards.

Shortly after the incident, fans took to social media to criticize Messi for his behavior in the final, calling it petty and unnecessary.

BBC Sport presenter Gabby Logan described it as “desperation from Messi”, while Wayne Rooney commented: “That’s exactly how it is. That’s how Argentina play, we know they do. All you want is sportsmanship. It was sad to see Lionel Messi doing that.”

Joe Hart added: “Yeah, I didn’t like that from Messi at all. He realizes how much better Spain is in this final.”

Another BBC analyst, Micah Richards, added: “It’s nothing special. You didn’t cover your mouth completely, it was only half, right? You don’t want to see people sent off in a World Cup final for something like that.”

More about the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

• Complete program
• Complete results
• Tables
• News from the World Cup in football 2026
• Football World Cup TV program
• Jerseys of countries
• Stadiums