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Published 09:38 20 Jul 2026 GMT
After Argentina’s devastating defeat in the World Cup final, two players were spotted snubbing the US President during the medal ceremony.
Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero were spotted not-so-subtly skipping a handshake with Donald Trump before shaking the hands of the two other hosting heads of state, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney.
In protest of either the result or the widely documented alleged corruption that has plagued the competition, Manchester United centre-back Martinez decided not to shake hands with either FIFA boss Gianni Infantino or Trump during Argentina’s silver medal ceremony.
Unsurprisingly, Infantino also promised Trump the job of handing the victorious Spain captain Rodri the gold trophy.
While the champions, who won 1-0 in extra time, were celebrating their second World Cup win, some Argentina players pounced on their competition and viciously attacked them in anger.
Moments after the final whistle, the losing team’s Leandro Paredes launched himself at Spain’s Gavi. Then, Nahuel Molina appeared to throw a punch at one of the Spain subs running on to join in with his team-mates’ celebrations.
Tensions were particularly high as the game was set to be legendary soccer player Lionel Messi’s last appearance for his country in an international competition, so he was hoping to go out with a bang.
The 39-year-old was even seen in tears looking at the crowd after the final whistle was blown. However, it was the team’s head coach who appeared the most emotional, even cutting a press conference short as he could not hold back the tears.
Lionel Scaloni, who guided the team to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, questioned his future as the team’s most important player.
He said: “I feel the need to think because I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do something as big as this.
“We would have to talk about it. My place is everyone’s dream place. We tried until the very last moment to give our all as a coaching staff, the players too, and I think it’s only fair to consider it. This place is wonderful.
“I never imagined I’d be here. To move forward, a lot of things are needed. Above all, we need to reset, to form a group like this, which is unlikely to ever be formed again. It breaks my heart. I’m sorry.”
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Published 09:01 20 Jul 2026 GMT
A lip reader claims to know what Donald Trump said to each player following the FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina.
Spain emerged as 1-0 victors over Messi and his Argentina side, in a scrappy final that likely won't be remembered by many.
La Roja won't care too much, as a stoppage-time half-volley by substitute Ferran Torres sealed the European champions' second-ever World Cup win, 16 years after their 2010 victory.
Their opponents didn't pose too much of a challenge attacking-wise, as Argentina became the first-ever team to go 90 minutes without a shot in a World Cup final.
With that being said, La Albiceleste were scrappy and disciplined in defence, with this reckless style of play leading to Enzo Fernandez being sent off in second-half stoppage time.
But following the final whistle, not only was there a brawl between the two sides, but Trump reportedly repeated the same message to players from both sides.
The US leader was joined by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in the medal ceremony at the New York New Jersey stadium.
He had greeted every player on stage and shaken their hands beforehand, exchanging words with them as they walked past, while Argentinian players Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero blanked his attempts at a handshake.
According to professional lip reader Nicola Hickling, who spoke to the Express via LipReader Ltd, Trump told each Spanish player: "You are a champ," before adding: "Amazing player."
Trump was jeered by many in the stadium as he walked out alongside Infantino, but he still had a prominent part to play in the medal and trophy presentation.
He also presented Spain with the coveted World Cup trophy, loitering on stage as Spanish captain Rodri lifted it with his teammates in celebration.
Despite efforts from Infantino to get the 80-year-old US President off the stage, Trump seemed determined to stay for the trophy lift before stepping off the stage.
While many backed Argentina and their attempt to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, they showed up with a defensive game plan.
In fact, the South American side wouldn't have an attempt on goal until extra time, as they looked to nullify Spain and defend their box for the entirety of the final.
Lionel Messi barely got a sniff in what was likely his last World Cup game, but Spain were made to work to find their winner in the second period of extra time.
Hope looked all but lost after Enzo Fernandez was shown a red card for a wild challenge on Spain's Pau Cubarsi in the 92nd minute of normal time, with Spain playing against 10 men for the entirety of extra time.
Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes, who was booked during the game, could be seen having a scuffle with a few Spanish players after the final whistle, with cameras seeing him lunge at some opponents.
All in all, it wasn't a good look for Messi and co as staff had to get involved to break things up.
Published 09:37 07 Jul 2026 GMT
Belgium's players appeared to take a swipe at Donald Trump after dumping the United States out of the World Cup, leaving many people saying the same thing.
The Red Devils sent the tournament hosts crashing out of FIFA’s flagship competition after capitalising on a string of defensive mistakes before sealing the win with a late fourth goal from Romelu Lukaku, prompting celebrations from him and his teammates that appeared to mimic the “Trump dance”.
The match had already been steeped in controversy before kick-off after FIFA allowed USA striker Folarin Balogun to play despite being sent off in the previous round.
Trump had publicly supported FIFA's decision during an appearance in the Oval Office earlier in the week, revealing he had spoken to FIFA president Gianni Infantino before Balogun's suspension was overturned, confirming he had pushed for the suspension of the red card.
Belgium had strongly objected to the decision and demanded an explanation, even threatening further action if Balogun was eligible to play.
However, after comfortably defeating the United States, the players appeared to make their feelings known with their post-match celebrations.
Charles De Ketelaere scored twice during the opening half, while Malik Tillman briefly gave the USA hope with a free-kick.
Hans Vanaken restored Belgium's two-goal cushion after the break before Romelu Lukaku added a fourth goal late on, celebrating with gestures many viewers compared to Trump's signature dance moves.
The result was particularly painful for the hosts after the build-up had been dominated by the Balogun eligibility saga.
Belgium had originally prepared for the Round of 16 expecting the Arsenal forward to miss the match following his red card. However, FIFA reversed the suspension shortly before the game.
The original dismissal had already sparked debate, while the decision to overturn the ban led to even greater scrutiny. Infantino's close relationship with Trump also prompted questions from critics about the handling of the situation.
Although Infantino later issued a statement, Belgium challenged Balogun's eligibility, but FIFA ruled the complaint "inadmissible."
Following that decision, the Royal Belgian Football Association warned it was considering further action.
"This leaves all further actions open," the federation said.
"To date, the RBFA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of this procedure."
Belgium's official national team account also joined in after the final whistle, posting a graphic showing the 4-1 scoreline alongside the caption: "Overturn this."
Following the match, social media quickly filled with jokes suggesting Trump's close relationship with FIFA could lead to further controversy.
One X user joked: "Has Trump put in a request with FIFA to make it a best of 7 series with Belgium yet?"
Another wrote: "Donald Trump has demanded a replay of USA v Belgium because the US team was only allowed 11 players on the 'field' (he means pitch) and all the Belgian scorers should be red carded (whatever that means) for being disrespectful ... #LandOfTheFree eh?"
A third added: "Trump Will want a Review on this Match, so u guys can replay the match..."
Belgium will now face current European champions, Spain, in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Published 10:46 19 Dec 2022 GMT
Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez left audiences shocked after his celebration on stage after the FIFA World Cup 2022 final consisted of a pretty risqué gesture...
Now, when I tell you Sunday night's World Cup final was wild, I'm not kidding.
Argentina and France gave us a match that people will be talking about for years to come.
While everything seemed to be going in Argentina's favor for a massive chunk of the game, Kylian Mbappe, hailed as the star player of France's national team, pulled his squad out of their rut with two consecutive goals in the 80th and 81st minute, sending both teams into extra time.
However, after a nail-biting 30 minutes, followed by an overwhelming defeat on penalties, the French were forced to hand over the victory to Argentina who now have an impressive three World Cup wins under their belt.
Of course, then came the celebrations.
You would think that seeing the players shedding tears of joy with their teammates following such a competitive tournament would be the overall highlight, right? Well, there was a moment that topped that and it seems as though it's become a hot talking point online.
During the post-match ceremony, we saw Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez receive the coveted Golden Glove award for his efforts - and well-deserved, may I add.
However, within seconds of holding the award, he placed it over his groin area, making it seem like the accolade was a huge, golden schlong in front of thousands of spectators at Doha's Lusail Stadium, as well as millions of viewers watching at home.
Though the gesture was extremely crude, it seems as though Qatari officials took it pretty well, with just the odd side-eye here and there.
Besides that, Martinez was praised as a hero for his country, especially during the penalties.
Not only did he manage to save Kingsley Coman's shot, he also dabbled in a few mind games with Aurélien Tchouaméni which proved to unsettle the French player, ultimately making him fire his shot a little too wide.
The Ashton Villa goalkeeper received his Golden Glove award alongside Lionel Messi, who won the best player, Enzo Fernandez who won the best young player and Kylian Mbappe who won the Golden Boot.
Published 13:00 18 Jul 2026 GMT
Donald Trump has unexpectedly weighed in on England's World Cup semi-final defeat, questioning one of Thomas Tuchel's tactical decisions after the Three Lions' dramatic loss to Argentina.
England looked on course to reach their first men's World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 1966 after taking the lead in the second half.
However, late goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez completed a turnaround for Argentina, who booked their place in the final against Spain.
In the aftermath of the defeat, Tuchel came under heavy criticism for making defensive substitutions after England went 1-0 up, with many pundits and supporters arguing the changes handed momentum to Argentina.
Despite the backlash, the Football Association has publicly backed the German coach, who is under contract until 2028.
Now, the US President has added his voice to the debate.
Speaking at a FIFA reception in New York on Friday, Trump singled out England captain Harry Kane while questioning why the team's approach became so defensive after taking the lead.
"You have a great player in England, who I played golf with," Trump said. "You know that, right? He is Harry, who's been fantastic."
Trump then appeared to criticise Tuchel's tactics, saying: "I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player."
Referring to England dropping deeper to protect their advantage, he added: "They took the lead, and they took their best player, and they put him on defence."
Although Trump admitted he wasn't an expert on football tactics, he suggested England should have continued to attack rather than sitting back.
"What do I know about soccer?" he said. "We got to be a little offensive, right?... Look, what do I know about coaching?"
Still, he admitted the tactical switch struck him as unusual, adding: "I thought that was a little unusual, but Harry is a great guy actually."
The comments come as the 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, prepares to conclude with Argentina facing European champions Spain in the final.
Published 16:24 07 Jul 2026 GMT
After the World Cup’s co-hosts, the USA, lost 4-1 to Belgium last night, missing out on a place in the quarter-finals and being kicked out of the competition, soccer fans have begged the President to pull some strings and get their national team back in the game.
Since the country has been turfed out of the tournament, fans flocked to social media to ask Donald Trump to use his position of power to ask FIFA for another chance to prove themselves.
Fans have faith that a plea from Trump could work, as his request to review US top striker Folarin Balogun’s ban worked and got him back on the pitch.
The team’s top goal-scorer was set to miss out on the match against Belgium after receiving a red card in the US’ previous game against Bosnia and Herzegovina before Trump stepped in.
Unsurprisingly, soccer fans have begged the President to step in again and use his power to get the USA back into the global event of the year.
One soccer fan boldly claimed on social media: “The US can still win the World Cup if Donald Trump has the courage.”
Another person, although seemingly less convinced by Trump’s influence, said: “Do you think Trump will make another phone call to ask them to overturn Belgium’s win? I wouldn’t put it past him.”
A third added: “The officials were totally corrupt. Trump needs to call Gianni.”
Gianni Infantino took over as FIFA president promising to reform the organization following the major 2015 corruption scandal, but his tenure has since been dogged by a string of controversies and ethics questions.
He has faced multiple ethics investigations and controversies of his own, including a Swiss criminal probe into secret, undocumented meetings he held with the country's former Attorney General who was investigating football corruption at the time.
Unsurprisingly, Infantino faced intense criticism over alleged political interference after FIFA abruptly suspended a red-card ban for Balogun immediately following a phone call from Trump.
Despite the pleas from US soccer fans, it appears the co-hosts' World Cup campaign is over for good, regardless of any calls made to FIFA's top brass.
Even if the USA team did make it through the knock-out stages, they would have faced the rather strong Spanish team, and hopes of beating them would be even slimmer.
