Wayne Rooney, the former England captain, has criticized Lionel Messi's conduct during the World Cup final, stating that the Argentine star made a "desperate attempt" to have an opponent sent off. The incident occurred late in the match when Argentina's Enzo Fernandez received a second yellow card, leading to a confrontation between players.
During the melee, Marc Cucurella of Spain was seen speaking to Messi. Video showed Messi gesturing to the referee, appearing to accuse Cucurella of covering his mouth. According to FIFA's rules for the tournament, a player can be sent off if they cover their mouth in a confrontational situation, a rule previously applied to players like Paraguay's Miguel Almiron and Ecuador's Piero Hincapié.
However, on this occasion, it did not appear that Cucurella was speaking in a confrontational manner, and neither the referee nor VAR intervened. Messi's actions drew criticism from BBC pundits, including Joe Hart and Micah Richards, who expressed disappointment at seeing such behavior in a World Cup final.
Rooney echoed these sentiments, stating, "It is desperation. Argentina play like that, we know that's what they do. But the one thing you want is good sportsmanship and that was sad to see Lionel Messi doing that." The incident came as Argentina's team was already a man down heading into extra time.