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Enzo Fernandez ‘cost’ Argentina with his ‘stupid’ sending off, says Alan Shearer (Picture: Getty)
Alan Shearer pointed the finger at Enzo Fernandez following Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain, claiming the midfielder ‘cost his country’ by ‘stupidly’ getting sent off.
Ferran Torres achieved instant national hero status with the winning goal for Spain, coming off the bench to hammer the ball home in extra-time after Fernandez had been given his marching orders.
Fernandez was shown the first of his two cautions for dissent – and referee Slavko Vincic was left with little choice but to brandish a second yellow after the Chelsea midfielder flew in on Pau Cubarsi with a reckless challenge in the 93rd minute.
While Fernandez appeared stunned by the decision, wagging his finger in the air in protest, replays clearly showed the officials had reached the correct decision to reduce Argentina to ten men.
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The ill feeling and animosity between the two teams continued on beyond the final whistle as Leandro Paredes was also shown a red card following a melee with Gavi and Eric Garcia.
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Meanwhile, Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala was captured punching Dani Olmo in the throat as the ugly scenes threatened to spiral out of control and overshadow Spain’s celebrations.
After realising the error of his ways, Fernandez was pictured raising his hands to Argentina fans while asking for forgiveness as he made his way down the tunnel at MetLife Stadium.
Spain v Argentina: Final - FIFA World Cup 2026
Torres scored the only goal of the game at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium (Picture: Getty)
epa13121615 Gavi (L) of Spain clashes with Nahuel Molina (C) and Leandro Paredes of Argentina after the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final match Spain against Argentina, in New Jersey, USA, 19 July 2026. EPA/RONALD WITTEK
There were ugly scene after the final whistle (Picture: EPA)
But reacting to the red card on The Rest Is Football, an unsympathetic Shearer tore Fernandez to shreds, claiming the 25-year-old gave Spain an almighty boost as a result of his questionable decision-making.
‘Stupid! He got done for dissent which he should never have done,’ Shearer said.
‘But to go into that tackle when you’re already on a yellow card, it was already going to be bad enough anyway but going down to ten men… that’s when they just thought Spain are going to win.
‘He’s cost his country massively. As much as he helped get them through to the final with that wonderful goal against England, he’s cost his country.’
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Micah Richards, meanwhile, took aim at Paredes for his ’embarrassing’ behaviour in the aftermath of Argentina’s defeat.
‘Even though Spain were very dominant, I thought Argentina defended well. They defend so well, the former England and Manchester City defender said.
‘So if you look at them compared to England, when England go in a low block it’s like they don’t know what to do.
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‘With Argentina, they’re just brilliant at knowing when to jump, knowing when the drop off, knowing when to buy a foul. Tactical fouls, they’re the best at it.
‘The s***housery from Argentina. That’s embarrassing [from Paredes], that. Win or lose, you’ve got to shake hands.’
Richards singled out Cubarsi for special praise after Spain’s win, suggesting the central defender is already a ‘superstar’ at the tender age of 19.
‘It’s his football IQ. He’s very good on the ball, playing in a team that likes to keep the ball which makes him look even better,’ Richards said of the Barcelona youngster.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JULY 19: Pau Cubarsi #22, Rodri #16 and Unai Simon #23 of Spain pose with their awards after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Alex Pantling - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Cubarsi, Rodri and Simon all scooped individual prizes after the match (Picture: Getty)
‘A lot of praise has to go to Aymeric Laporte as well because he marshalled him through that. You always need an experienced head.
‘But for Cubarsi to perform like that at 19 is just remarkable and he gets better every time I watch him.
‘Sometimes I watched him playing for Barcelona and he was getting caught out but he wasn’t getting caught out in this Spain team.
‘He’s growing, he’s learning every single time. He’s a superstar already.’
To cap off a magnificent campaign, Spanish captain Rodri was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon came away with the Golden Glove, while central defender Pau Cubarsi was named as the best young player.
France forward Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, became the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice after finishing as top scorer with ten goals to his name.
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