Gavi Was Attacked by Paredes in the Final — and Still Says: "I Don't Think He Should Be Suspended"
Attacked on the pitch after the 2026 World Cup final, Gavi stuns everyone by saying Paredes doesn't deserve a ban. Here's what the Spanish champion had to say.
World champion, attacked on the pitch, and still willing to defend his attacker. Gavi is not exactly what you'd expect from a victim.
After Spain beat Argentina 1–0 in the 2026 World Cup final, several Argentine players — Leandro Paredes among them — were involved in scenes that left many people speechless. Gavi was one of the Spanish players assaulted on the field. But, contrary to what one might expect, the midfielder has no interest in seeing his rival punished.
"To tell the truth, I don't think he should be suspended," Gavi said, according to Record. He went further: he acknowledged that Paredes "didn't set a good example for younger fans," but argued that football "has this slightly more violent side" and that, when all is said and done, "it's all football."
The statement came during a celebration in Los Palacios y Villafranca, his hometown, where Gavi and Fabián Ruiz were given a hero's welcome — and left carrying, quite literally, their own weight in tomatoes.
Golmetria's model had already identified Spain as the heavy favourite for the title, giving them a 75% chance of being champions before the tournament even began — and Argentina reached the final with a 68% probability of getting there, but just a 7% chance of lifting the trophy. What no number could predict was a final that ended in punches, and one of the targets now pleading for leniency toward his attacker.
The final word on any potential suspension for Paredes rests with FIFA. But Gavi's stance already says a great deal about the man who lifted the trophy — and about how he wants this story to be remembered.