Lionel Messi Tries To Get Spain Star Sent Off During FIFA World Cup 2026 Final, Blasted As ‘Baby’ After Heated Incident

Argentina football team superstar Lionel Messi found himself in an unusual controversy after he tried to get Spain defender Marc Cucurella sent off during the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. With the match hanging in the balance, Messi tried to convince the referee Slavko Vincic to show Cucurella a red card as he covered his mouth while speaking to him. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was shown a red card in the second half and as his teammates protested the decision, Cucurella briefly approached Messi and replays showed that he partially covered his mouth his hand before lowering it almost immediately. Messi, however, gestured towards the referee to send him off according to the new FIFA rules but his request was ultimately denied.

Esto de Messi con Cucurella ha sido muy bajuno, la verdad… pic.twitter.com/r8V1wQEE8k

— Laura Vizcaíno (@lauravizcaino_) July 19, 2026

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The rules state that any player covering their mouth during an altercation with their opponents will be shown a direct red. Earlier in the competition, Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron and Ecaudor’s Piero Hincapie were sent off for a similar offence. However, the referee decided during the World Cup final that Cucurella’s offence did not match the threshold for a dismissal.

Spain went on to clinch the World Cup title with an extra time goal by Ferran Torres.

Messi faced tremendous criticism for his action with former England defender Lee Dixon even calling him a ‘baby’.

“The game has gone if you’re getting bookings and red cards for that, to get somebody sent off,” Dixon told ITV.

“You shouldn’t be such a baby to try and get someone sent off for that; it’s ridiculous.”

Former England captain Wayne Rooney was also not happy with how things went down. “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.”

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