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Lionel Messi has been labelled “a baby” after his apparent attempt to get Marc Cucurella sent off in the World Cup 2026 final.
The Argentina football captain was reacting to an interaction with the former Spain football defender during a tense final in New York.
In the immediate aftermath of Enzo Fernandez’s red card for a second yellow card for his foul on Pau Cubarsi, players surrounded the Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic.
Cucurella could be seen attempting to speak with Messi, but the Argentine forward desperately approach Vincic in a bid to report the Real Madrid star for interacting with him while his mouth was covered.
Under rules at the Fifa World Cup, players can be sent off for communicating with opposition while hiding their mouth, as was the case for Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron.
And ITV commentator Lee Dixon reacted in disgust at Messi’s attempt to try even up the teams at 10 players apiece.
Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina controls the ball against Pedri #20 and Marc Cucurella #24 of Spain (Getty)
“The game has gone if you’re getting bookings and red cards for that, to get somebody sent off,” the former England defender said during the broadcast. “‘You shouldn’t be such a baby to try and get someone sent off for that, it’s ridiculous.”