Paredes Leaves His Argentina Future Up in the Air After Final Brawl: 'It Needs to Be Discussed'
Four days after the World Cup final defeat, Paredes was back playing for Boca and admitted his Argentina future 'needs to be discussed.'
The World Cup final still hurts — and Leandro Paredes isn't pretending otherwise.
The midfielder who fouled Gavi and sparked the brawl at the final whistle of the showdown against Spain was back on the pitch at La Bombonera just four days after the runners-up finish in the United States. Playing for Boca Juniors against O'Higgins in the Copa Sudamericana round-of-sixteen playoff, he made his presence felt: he provided the assist in a 1–0 victory.
But what everyone wanted to know came after the final whistle. Will he carry on with the Argentine national team?
"I don't know, it's a process," Paredes said. "You have to digest it, think it over, not make hasty decisions — and it's certainly something that needs to be discussed."
The midfielder also spoke about the futures of Messi and head coach Scaloni. "For many, it will be a difficult decision whether to continue or not," he admitted. "It will be very hard to maintain that level, to keep the group functioning the way it has."
Back in Argentina, conspiracy theories gained traction on social media — the idea that the Cup was "made" for Spain to win. Paredes wasn't buying it. He called the Spanish "deserving winners" and acknowledged: "Spain was superior to us in the final."
Gracious in defeat. But still no answer to the question Argentine fans most want to hear.
The Golmetria model, calculated before the tournament, had already identified Spain as the favourite for the title — and Argentina as the second-strongest side. The final confirmed exactly that order. Now, what comes next is the question that lingers: has this glorious Albiceleste cycle come to an end, or is there still one more chapter to be written?