Argentina star punches Spain captain Rodri to spark brawl after World Cup final

Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes attacked Spain midfielder Gavi after Argentina’s defeat (EPA)

Argentina defender Nahuel Molina sparked a brawl immediately after the full-time whistle in the

World Cup

final by punching Spain captain

Rodri

.

Spain sealed a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday

with Ferran Torres scoring the winner in the first half of extra time.

But as Rodri, who was substituted in extra time, ran onto the pitch to celebrate with his Spain teammates following the full-time whistle, Molina was seen throwing a punch to the chest of the

Manchester City

midfielder.

Rodri immediately stopped and confronted Molina, which then triggered a fight between the two players.

In a separate incident, Molina and his Argentina teammate Leandro Paredes were seen grabbing Spain midfielder Gavi by the neck and throwing him to the floor.

‘He’s a disgrace, him,’

Gary Neville

said of Paredes after the full-time whistle.

Nahuel Molina punched Rodri after the final whistle to spark the confrontation between the two sides (Reuters)

Nahuel Molina initially threw a punch at Gavi as he ran over to celebrate with his Spain teammates (EPA)

pic.twitter.com/PdEd3KrIdm

— , (@camavingha694)

July 19, 2026

‘I love the competitiveness of the Argentines, they deserve credit for fighting for their lives throughout the tournament, even today when they were being outplayed by a great Spain side.

‘But he’s been a disgrace the last couple of games. Why ref allowed him to do it I don’t know.’

Argentina endured a frustrating final against Spain as they failed to register a shot on goal in 90 minutes (EPA)

Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina now face punishment from FIFA (AFP via Getty)

Disgusting behaviour of the Argentinian players after the match, Paredes should be banned for life

#mundialdefútbol2026

pic.twitter.com/xiSRVD7kLl

— goalpostFC (@GoalpostFC)

Former

England

striker

Alan Shearer

said: ‘Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone’s face. He went for them. 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.’

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