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Spain star Lamine Yamal was seen poking fun at Leandro Paredes and teammate Gavi after the postgame altercation at the FIFA World Cup final, as the champions returned home.
Paredes lost his cool after Argentina lost the World Cup final, and proceeded to grab Spain's Eric Garcia by the throat before wrestling Gavi down. The postgame altercation led to an ugly clash between the two nations after a tense final, which Spain won 1-0 in extra time.
Contrary to reports, Paredes was not shown a red card for his actions and has refused to apologize, though FIFA is set to investigate the incident and could suspend the Argentina midfielder. As Spain returned home as champions, Yamal saw the funny side.
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The Argentina national team is known for its physical nature and ability to use the 'dark arts' in its favor. While they worked for most of the World Cup, the tactics proved ineffective against Spain, and Argentina ultimately cost itself.
Enzo Fernandez was shown a red card after picking up two yellows for unnecessary challenges, and Paredes was booked moments after coming off the bench, which impacted his role in the team. His frustration boiled over at full-time, and he took it out on Gavi and Garcia.
Gavi, Garcia, and Yamal all play together at Barcelona, alongside representing Spain, and share a close relationship off the field. As the Spanish national team paraded around Madrid, Yamal held up a sign mocking Paredes.
The sign translated to, "Event of the Year 7: Paredes v Gavi." Although the incident involving Paredes was the main heated postgame moment, the ugly scenes also involved other players and coaches.
Nahuel Molina was also involved in the fracas involving Garcia and Gavi, while Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala was seen apparently striking Spain midfielder Dani Olmo. Even Nicolas Otamendi called out Rodri, his former Manchester City teammate.
The tensions eventually settled, and Spain lifted the World Cup trophy, while Argentina had its back to the presentation. Lionel Messi was seen crying after receiving his runner-up medal, and Fernandez was seen apologizing to his teammates for receiving a red card.
After the game and the heated on-field incident, Paredes issued a statement pleading his love toward the national team. "THANK YOU, ARGENTINA!! I LOVE YOU NOW AND ALWAYS," his message read.
"Writing this today brings deep pain to my soul—pain at not having been able to give our country the joy it so richly deserves—yet my heart swells with pride knowing we gave everything we had and once again held our flag high!
"Thank you to everyone who was part of this national team—to this group of players who gave their all to represent this jersey, fighting right up to the very last second of every match!
"It was an honor to be part of the best Argentine national team in history!!"
