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Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi has been criticised and labelled a ‘baby’ after he attempted to get Spain defender Marc Cucurella sent off during the FIFA World Cup final.

The dramatic match saw Argentina reduced to ten men in the second half when Enzo Fernandez received a second yellow card for a rash challenge on Pau Cubarsi. With his team under pressure, Messi tried to even the numbers by drawing the referee’s attention to an incident involving Cucurella.

As the players surrounded referee Slavko Vincic to protest Fernandez’s dismissal, Cucurella approached Messi to discuss the situation. The Real Madrid full-back briefly covered his mouth while speaking — an act that, under new FIFA guidelines introduced for this tournament, can lead to a red card.

This rule had already been enforced earlier in the competition when Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron became the first player penalised for covering his mouth, resulting in a red card during the group stage.

Upon noticing Cucurella’s hand gesture, Messi immediately pointed it out to referee Vincic, seemingly urging him to take action. However, Vincic appeared largely unmoved by the complaint.

ITV commentator Lee Dixon was unimpressed by Messi’s reaction, calling the episode “ridiculous.” He remarked, “The game’s gone if you’re getting bookings and red cards for things like that. You shouldn’t be such a baby to try and get someone sent off for that — it’s ridiculous.”

Fans on social media also mocked Messi’s behaviour, with one user writing, “Like a child running to tell the teacher. Pathetic behaviour from the so-called superstar.”

Another fan described it as the “most pathetic moment” of the final — a match already filled with controversy. Leandro Paredes was shown a red card after the final whistle for appearing to throw Spain midfielder Gavi to the ground during a post-match altercation.

Messi’s appeal against Cucurella ultimately came to nothing, and Spain went on to claim a 1-0 victory thanks to Ferran Torres’ late goal, securing their World Cup triumph.