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Argentina footballer Leandro Paredes admitted that the eventual champions, Spain, deserved to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup and added that the pain of losing the final will stay with them for a long time.
Paredes was at the centre of controversy as, after the final whistle rang and Spain were crowned champions by a 1-0 margin, he was involved in altercations with Spanish stars Eric Garcia and Gavi, as per Goal.com. The Argentina star said to ESPN as quoted by Goal.com, that Spain deserved to win their second title and the Argentina side do not pay heed to any conspiracy theories surrounding their losses. Two of the most popular theories on the internet was FIFA WC final being set up in favour of Spain so that FIFA president Gianni Infantino could get re-elected with the support of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and that Argentina was forced to lose after they made a political message by holding a "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" ("The Falklands are Argentine") on the pitch following their World Cup semi-final victory over England and faced risk of being banned from two upcoming FIFA World Cups otherwise. "Spain were better than us in the final, and they deserve to win the World Cup. We pay no attention to these theories. If I were to believe everything I hear, I would lose my mind. A lot was said before, during and after the World Cup," he added. Reflecting on his team's run to the final, Paredes said that the team put on a wonderful tournament and whatever the team has achieved over the last eight years, including two Copa America titles and the FIFA World Cup trophy in 2022, makes it an "exceptional journey". "Perhaps we will realise the greatness of what we have accomplished as time passes, because it is something unbelievable," he added. Commenting on his future with the Argentina national side since his debut in 2017, he said, "For many, there will be a time to think about whether they will continue the journey or not. It has been an exceptional journey." "It will be difficult to maintain this level and for the group to keep working in the same way. We have to think and carry out a thorough assessment and talk with the coach. Decisions must be taken calmly, and I do not know whether I will continue," he added. On a parting note, he feels that getting over the loss in the WC final will take a long time, but the team should enjoy their rich run of form over the last few years or so. "I think that getting over what we experienced will take a long time. We have indeed achieved important things, but the pain of losing the World Cup final will stay with us for a long time because we were once again so close. Nevertheless, we must enjoy what we have accomplished," he signed off. (ANI)
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