Argentina's national team could break up after losing the World Cup final
Jul 25, 2026 · 13:00
Speaking after Argentina's World Cup final defeat, Leandro Paredes said the Spanish side had been better than them. The midfielder also suggested that several players could retire.
Leandro Paredes, a member of Argentina's national team who finished as runners-up at this year's World Cup, said in comments about the tournament that the victorious Spanish side had been better than them, and also revealed that many players will have to decide whether to continue playing for the national team.
Several could retire
The 32-year-old midfielder did not rest much after the World Cup: on Thursday he played for his club, Boca Juniors, in South America's second-tier continental cup competition, and it was his flick-on that set up teammate Miguel Merentiel for the winning goal. Paredes played the full match against Chile's Club Deportivo O'Higgins in the Copa Sudamericana, and spoke to ESPN afterwards.
"Many of us have to decide whether we're still going to play for the national team or not," Paredes said, referring to the squad's upcoming transformation. In the World Cup squad, Rodrigo De Paul is 32, Emiliano Martínez and Nicolás Tagliafico are 33, Nicolás Otamendi - who announced his international retirement just days ago - is 38, and Lionel Messi is 39.
Is there enough left in the tank to continue?
Paredes described this year's World Cup as a great run, but said it will be very difficult for the national team to keep performing at this level in the future. "We need to make our decisions calmly, and I don't yet know if I have enough left in me to continue. It's a process, we need to process what happened, and think carefully about what we decide," the player said.
Spain were the better side
"Spain deserved to become world champions, and we can be proud of what we've achieved over the last eight years," the player said, referring to the two Copa América trophies won in that time, the 2022 World Cup title, and this year's World Cup final.
The pain will linger for a long time
"It will take a long time for us to get over this, but the pain of losing the World Cup final will stay with us for a long time, because we were so close to our goal," said Paredes, who said he was happy that Argentine fans saw themselves reflected in the national team, which he said was some consolation.
