It was a subdued World Cup final in many ways, with Argentina failing to cause many issues against Spain, even though it was still a tight game. It took until Enzo Fernandez’s 93rd-minute red card for the game to truly spark into life.

Indeed, Lionel Scaloni’s men didn’t register a single shot against Spain in the first 90 minutes, the first time a team failed to have a shot attempt in regulation time in World Cup final history. In extra-time, though, La Furia Roja made their extra-man advantage count as they created some big chances before Ferran Torres struck the winner in the 106th minute.

After a somewhat strange Argentine display, some internet theories have suggested something must have gone wrong before the game. Adding to those claims, Lionel Messi’s body language and comments to his teammates ahead of kick-off have generated plenty of discussion.

Lionel Messi’s Pre-World Cup Final Speech Sparks Concern

A clip has emerged of Messi talking to the Argentine players in the tunnel ahead of kick-off, where he seems to be addressing an incident in the dressing room. He said:

Truth be told, Argentina did not stay calm with Fernandez getting a red card. A number of other players, most notably Leandro Paredes, also lost their cool on the day. With Messi’s comments circulating online, many supporters have been left wondering what exactly caused him to urge his teammates to ‘forget about everything’.

One asked: “I need to understand why Messi said “forget everything that happened” before heading out to the final. What the hell are we missing? What did they do to them?”

Another added: “Honestly, after how weird the whole match was and now this video pops up, I’ve got a thousand doubts.” While a third wrote: “The whole match was weird. Argentina played like they didn’t want to be there. No pressing, no attacking, not even defending, nothing. And now this comes out…”

Someone else added: “Something happened before that match, well, the truth will come out.”

Others also seemed to think Fernandez was even in tears, as one noted: “Enzo crying before the final is the weirdest thing here. He’s always the most hyped guy. It seems very shady, not to mention he got sent off that match.”

Explanation For Strange Argentina Dressing Room Scenes

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

Amid all the speculation, a possible explanation has emerged for the seemingly sombre mood of the World Cup finalists. Indeed, trusted Argentine journalist Hernan Castillo – who has previously reported for the likes of ESPN – took to social media to explain that things were so emotional because Messi had confessed it was likely his final game:

At this moment in time, Messi has yet to confirm if he will ever play for Argentina again. Now 39, it’s almost certain that this would have been his final match at a World Cup.

Speaking on social media, he has now addressed the defeat, stating: “The pain is very great and it will take time for this wound to heal.

“But I also take away all the good things… With the matches we turned around leaving everything on the pitch and that will remain forever in the memory, with the support of an entire country that together with the work and effort of this group led us to be, once again, among the best in the world.”

He finished by congratulating Spain on their triumph.

Nathan Aspinall called out online abuse from darts fans last year after a former world champion was met with backlash when talking about his own mental health.

This came after Aspinall’s triumphant night in Manchester during the 2025 edition of the Premier League, where he came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat world number one Luke Humphries 6-4 and pick up his first nightly win of the season in his hometown.

After the win, Aspinall admitted to Sky Sports that he nearly quit the sport altogether after suffering with dartitis, saying: “I’ve got a few issues, and sometimes it doesn’t look pretty on TV or whatever, but I found a way to cope with it.

“It affects me, but I’m winning, and I’m winning tournaments, and it’s one of them, either quit and give up and go home, or you own it, and you make it part of the game and that’s what I’ve decided to do.”

The result at the time took Aspinall up to fourth in the Premier League, just ahead of Michael van Gerwen. However, he finished the Premier League in third place that year, behind only the aforementioned Humphries and Luke Littler. He eventually lost to Humphries in the semi-finals at the O2, who went on to win the Premier League by beating Littler in the final.

Aspinall then wasn’t involved whatsoever in the most recent Premier League, despite his impressive showing in the 2025 edition.

But it wasn’t his nightly win that dominated the headlines at the time, as the two-time PDC major winner took the time to defend one of his colleagues from criticism that they had been receiving online, with the Asp calling behaviour from fans “disgusting” and saying that he wasn’t sure why the abuse was happening.

Nathan Aspinall Defends Fellow Player After Criticism

In an interview with SportsBoom, Aspinall came to the defence of Luke Humphries, who received criticism from fans online after talking openly about how his schedule had been affecting his mental health, with the former world champion saying that he feels “emotionless” because of his strict schedule.

This was met with backlash by some darts fans online at the time, which led to him posting on X: “Considering the comments, people not understanding what I meant… Will be the last time I ever confess my real feelings to the public.

Nathan Aspinall on His Friends Not Liking Darts Player

Aspinall came to the defence of Humphries in an interview with SportsBoom, before admitting that all of his mates that like darts simply do not like the world number two.

“He is an absolute credit to the sport. It’s disgusting. I have no idea.

FIFA have confirmed a surprise decision over Argentina’s Leandro Paredes after the midfielder’s shocking antics following Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain.

Paredes and some of his Argentina teammates failed to cover themselves in glory after the final whistle was blown at the New York New Jersey Stadium.

Argentina will now be investigated for their post-match conduct after FIFA’s disciplinary committee appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to assess what happened following Spain’s 1-0 victory.

Paredes, along with Nahuel Molina, Thiago Almada and assistant coach Roberto Ayala, all appeared to be involved in the post-match altercations.

Molina appeared to punch Rodri, who was named Player of the Tournament and now finds himself in contention for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, after the midfielder ran from the dugout to join his teammates.

Spain’s Eric Garcia was pushed in the throat by Paredes, while unused substitute Gavi was forced to the ground by Almada.

Gavi was then pushed to the turf by Paredes, while former Argentina defender Ayala appeared to strike Spain midfielder Dani Olmo after holding Garcia around the throat moments earlier.

Mike Segar via Action Images/Reuters

“Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone’s face. He went for them,” ex-England international Alan Shearer said on BBC One’s commentary. “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.”

FIFA Confirm Surprise Paredes Decision

REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

It was widely reported that Paredes, who replaced Nicolas Gonzalez at half-time, was sent off after the final whistle by referee Slavko Vincic.

The Boca Juniors midfielder appeared to become the second Argentina player to be shown a red card after Enzo Fernandez was dismissed in second-half stoppage-time for two bookable offences.

But in an unexpected twist, Paredes’ red card was removed from the record shortly afterwards.

FIFA have now confirmed to BBC Sport that, contrary to reports, no disciplinary was taken against Paredes at the time.

While retrospective disciplinary action against Paredes is likely to follow as FIFA begin their investigation, the Argentine did not become the seventh player to be shown a red card in a World Cup final, despite his push on Garcia in full view of referee Vincic.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi was not involved in the post-match altercations, but the 39-year-old has still received criticism for his conduct in the final after demanding action against Spain defender Marc Cucurella for briefly covering his mouth while speaking to him.

“We know it’s not a red card if you’re not being aggressive towards an opponent,” former FIFA referee Mark Halsey said. “So that is poor from Messi.”