Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez was part of the Argentina team that caused global embarrassment at the World Cup 2026 final
Lisandro Martinez #6 of Argentina reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium
Lisandro Martinez could be set to suffer more heartbreak following the sad scenes that unfolded at the World Cup final(Image: Getty Images)
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Lisandro Martinez could be set for further disappointment as the effects of Argentina's embarrassing display at the World Cup final continue to have an impact. And it could lead to further punishment for the Manchester United star's team ahead of his return to club duties.
Argentina were dethroned as World Cup champions on Sunday following a 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in New Jersey. The centre-back was a first-half casualty after going down with injury, except that's unlikely to be the end of his dismay.
Martinez, 28, and his side hoped to become just the third nation in history to win back-to-back World Cups. It wasn't meant to be as their regressive tactics were widely panned, while Argentina's post-match attacks on Spain drew even more vigorous criticism.
The aftermath severely soured the occasion, with the Argentinian Football Federation now expected to face substantial sanctions. Disgraceful post-match incidents unfolded on Sunday as Leandro Paredes shoved Eric Garcia's throat and grappled Gavi to the turf, while substituted Martinez was among those trying to break things up.
'The Butcher' deserves some credit for his efforts intervening in the mess. Martinez, who has already endured long injury stints during his time at Old Trafford, now faces an uncertain wait to discover the extent of his latest setback just as United's pre-season gets underway.
Fellow Argentina defender Nahuel Molina also seemed to strike Spain captain Rodri. FIFA has subsequently opened a formal probe, appointing a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to examine the disturbances after the final whistle.
Leandro Paredes and Gavi
Paredes was involved in the post-match scenes(Image: Getty)
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As the country awaits that outcome, Scaloni's side have endured a further blow after being budged from the top of FIFA's world rankings. Spain's newly crowned position as world champions is mirrored in the latest rankings following the tournament.
Luis de la Fuente's side sit top of the rankings on 1995.88 points, collecting 30.27 ranking points for their World Cup final triumph and overtaking Argentina, who slip to second on 1970.37. France, England and Brazil make up the rest of the top five.
Morocco, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands and Mexico complete the top 10. Spain, meanwhile, were crowned two-time world champions and wrote their names into the record books with a new world record of 38 international matches unbeaten.
It has, however, been a turbulent week for Argentina, who find themselves at the centre of a separate FIFA investigation following their semi-final celebrations against England. A number of Argentine players brandished a banner bearing the words: "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" (translated to read 'The Falkland Islands are Argentinian').
Martinez was among those seen holding the banner, along with the likes of Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso. As a result, they could be looking at harsher punishments than those players who took less prominent roles in the protest.
The banner appeared to breach tournament regulations, which prohibit the display of political messages or slogans before, during or after matches. Argentina went on to generate several further controversial moments in the wake of the World Cup final.