There aren’t many occasions when Lionel Messi draws flak for his on-field actions. However, the pressure of a FIFA World Cup final is such that even a player of Messi’s stature can invite criticism, as was the case when he appeared to try and have Marc Cucurella sent off on Sunday.
As Argentina players protested referee Slavko Vincic’s decision to show midfielder Enzo Fernandez a second yellow card, resulting in his dismissal from the final, Messi attempted to draw the official’s attention to his interaction with Cucurella.
With Argentina reduced to 10 men following Fernandez’s sending-off, Spain’s Cucurella had a brief exchange with Messi, during which he momentarily covered his mouth while speaking.
Messi raised his hand and approached Vincic
to complain about Cucurella’s action.
For the uninitiated, FIFA introduced a new rule at the tournament that bars players from covering their mouths while speaking to an opponent during a match. If a player is found to have broken the rule, the referee may show the guilty party a red card.
Estoy llorando como Messi Acusa a Cucurella por taparse la boca 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/1whErxS7Jw
— Out of Context Westcol 💀 (@k_psmj) July 19, 2026
Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron became the first player in the competition’s history to be sent off for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent.
However, it is up to the referee to judge whether such an offence merits a red card.
In Cucurella’s case, the referee, after VAR checks, deemed that the Spaniard had not said anything malicious enough to warrant a red card.
Messi’s attempt to level the playing field was met with criticism, with England legend Wayne Rooney calling out the World Cup winner for not showing good sportsmanship.
“Argentina play like that, we know that’s what they do. The one thing you want is good sportsmanship. That was sad to see, Lionel Messi doing that,” Rooney said on ITV.
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart echoed Rooney’s views.
“Yeah, I didn’t enjoy that at all from Messi. He realises how on top Spain are in this final, Gabby, if even Lionel Messi’s reverting to that,” Hart said on BBC.
Former England defender Lee Dixon branded Messi a ‘baby’.
“You shouldn’t be such a baby to try and get someone sent off for that, it’s ridiculous,” Dixon said.
Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 thanks to Ferran Torres’ late strike to become the world champions for the second time in their history.
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