Leandro Paredes was shown a red card at the full-time whistle of the 2026 World Cup Final after grabbing Eric Garcia by the throat, capping a catastrophic evening for Argentina as Spain lifted the trophy with a 1-0 victory.

Ferran Torres' goal in the 105th minute of extra time proved the difference, with Spain having played the entirety of extra time with ten men — yet still denying Argentina any meaningful foothold in the match.

Argentina's night of shame

The defending champions were thoroughly outclassed over 90 minutes, failing to register a single shot attempt in normal time. Their night only deteriorated from there.

Paredes became the second Argentina player dismissed on the night, following Enzo Fernandez's red card for a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsi earlier in the match. The pair's sending-offs pushed Argentina's all-time record of World Cup Final dismissals to four — the most of any nation in history. Argentina had already held the record after two dismissals in the 1990 final, and Fernandez's red card alone had broken that mark further.

After the final whistle, Paredes seized Garcia by the neck, and several other Argentina players joined in with unsavoury behaviour on the pitch. Manager Lionel Scaloni briefly intervened to restrain Paredes, but the midfielder broke free and shoved another Spain player to the ground.

Pundits condemn Argentina's conduct

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, working as a pundit for BBC, was unsparing in his verdict.

Disgusting. There's one player in that squad who had a bit of class and that's Lionel Messi, who went around and shook the hands of all the Spanish players.

Hart's condemnation was echoed by pundits on ITV, who also criticised the wider conduct of the Argentina squad in the aftermath of the defeat. Earlier at half-time, Ian Wright had already raised concerns about Argentina's pattern of harsh challenges going unpunished throughout the tournament.

Messi, by contrast, conducted himself with dignity — making a point of personally congratulating each Spain player after the final whistle, even as the scenes around him descended into chaos.