WATCH: Lionel Messi under fire for complaining against Marc Cucurella in FIFA World Cup 2026 final

In a series of surprising events, Lionel Messi has received a significant amount of heat after Argentina lost 0-1 to Spain in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Monday, July 20 (As per IST) at the New York New Jersey Stadium. 

After Argentina's star midfielder Enzo Fernandez received a second yellow card, which resulted in him forcefully exiting the pitch and leaving the side in a critical situation, Messi tried to draw the official's attention to his interaction with Spain's star defender Cucurella.

Lionel Messi receives hate for red-card appeal

Following Fernandez's dismissal left the three-time world champions with 10-men, Cucurella engaged in a brief exchange with Lionel Messi. During the instance, Cucurella was seen covering his mouth while speaking. As an outcome, Messi raised his and requested the match official to take action on the offense.

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Here is the video of the moment:

For those unaware, As per the new guidelines issued by FIFA players are prohibited to cover their mouth while interacting with an opponent player during a game. If a player is found to have broken the rule, the referee may show the guilty individual a red card. However, in Cucurella's case, the referee performed the VAR checks and could not find that the Spanish defender said anything malicious enough to show a red card.

Reacting to the instance, former England international Wayne Rooney slammed the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner for showing lack of sportsmanship, as he is someone who is known for having a cool and calm approach during the games.

"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," said Rooney on ITV.

Second World title for Spain

It was Spain's second World title after the first came in the 2010 edition, where they defeated Netherlands in the final. In the 2010 final, Spain's star midfielder Andres Iniesta was the only scorer in the summit clash.