Leandro Paredes

Leandro Paredes was sent off in the aftermath of Argentina's 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final on 19 July, dismissed for grabbing Spain's Eric García by the neck after the final whistle. GAVI intervened on García's behalf and was struck and pushed to the ground before Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni separated the players; no injuries were reported. It followed Enzo Fernández's 93rd-minute red card for a foul on Pau Cubarsí, Argentina's second dismissal of the match.

Paredes is an Argentina international midfielder who won the 2022 World Cup with the national team. He has played for Boca Juniors, Zenit St Petersburg, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus during his career, and returned to Boca Juniors in 2024.

After Argentina's semi-final win over England, Paredes told reporters the Falkland Islands "will always be Argentine" as players were pictured with a banner reading "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas" amid a wider political row over the fixture. The banner's provenance, thrown from the stands or carried by the squad, remained unsettled, and FIFA's disciplinary file on it was still open when the tournament ended on 19 July.