Argentina branded 'disgrace' for what they did while Spain lifted the World Cup trophy
Argentina players have been slammed for one final act of poor sportsmanship after losing the World Cup final to Spain.
Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the game in extra time to give La Roja their second World Cup star as they followed up their 2010 triumph in South Africa.
Argentina, who had Enzo Fernandez sent off for two silly yellow cards, did not manage a single shot on target and were dominated by Luis de la Fuente's side throughout.
Tempers flared after the final whistle, with Leandro Paredes sent off for attacking both Eric Garcia and Gavi while Nahuel Molina aimed a punch at Rodri as a scuffle ensued.
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In another ugly incident, Argentina's assistant manager Roberto Ayala was spotted striking Dani Olmo.
Things did eventually calm down and Spain gave their opponents a guard of honour for when they collected their silver medals from GiannI Infantino and Donald Trump.
READ MORE: Every word of what Nicolas Otamendi said to Rodri in furious World Cup final exchange
But when Rodri hoisted the World Cup trophy aloft on the podium, Argentina players were not watching.
Instead, the entire squad had their backs to the winners and were instead facing their own supporters behind the goal.
Footage shared by the BBC showed Messi did briefly turn his head to watch the trophy lift.
The lack of respect became a huge talking point on social media and England legend Stuart Pearce was critical of how Argentina handled the loss.
“When Spain were about to lift their trophy, the Argentinians, to a man, all stood with their back to the trophy lift,” he said on talkSPORT.
“That probably tells you a great deal, doesn’t it?”
Co-host Adrian Durham also shared the same view, calling Argentina a "total embarrassment to the game" for their antics throughout the tournament.
He added: “Yeah, no class, whatsoever. They’ve been absolutely shocking.
“They’ve been a total disgrace here today. The fans, we think have been brilliant. But even during the trophy lift, also when Rodri went up to get the best player in the tournament trophy, the fans were singing Messi’s name and they were singing Argentina as well."
Argentina player snubs Donald Trump after World Cup final
US president Trump was part of the ceremony, handing out medals alongside FIFA chief Infantino while stood next to Mexico president Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Trump shook hands with both sets of players and had brief interactions with many.
However, footage showed that Spurs defender Cristian Romero did not shake hands with Trump - instead walking past him with his medal around his neck.
Romero was the only person to not engage in a handshake with Trump, though Borja Iglesias of Spain did not appear to make any form of eye contact with the 80-year-old.
Iglesias, who plays his club football with Celta Vigo, had spoken about how he would approach facing Trump before the game.
“I don’t want to go to prison, I hope to greet him at a time when we are all very happy, and that it passes very quickly and I can forget about it," Iglesias said.
“I don’t think this is the time to create controversy. People know perfectly well what I think."
Spain captain Rodri waited for Trump to move out of the way for the trophy lift, ensuring he did not stay in shot as he did for Chelsea's Club World Cup presentation a year ago.
Topics: Argentina, Spain, FIFA World Cup
Josh Lawless