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The controversy of the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain reached Spanish television and quickly went viral on TikTok. A video of host Pilar Rodríguez Losantos, from the Antena 3 program Espejo Público, has reached 6.8 million views, nearly 100,000 likes, and more than 22,000 comments, after she labeled Lionel Messi a "fourth-division player" due to the incident with Spanish player Marc Cucurella during the match.
Below, we tell you what the Spanish host said and how social media reacted.
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¿Qué dijo la presentadora española Pilar Rodríguez Losantos sobre Messi?
During a broadcast of Espejo Público, Pilar Rodríguez Losantos asserted that Lionel Messi's attitude toward Marc Cucurella was that of a "fourth-division player" and described it as "a global embarrassment."
"What Leo Messi did yesterday with Cucurella is that of a fourth-division player, it is a global embarrassment... a guy who defines himself as the best player in the history of the world..." she expressed.
The host was referring to the moment when Cucurella approached Messi to say a few words while briefly covering his mouth with his hand. Subsequently, the Argentine captain went to the referee to have the Prestianni Law applied and get the Spanish player sent off.
This measure began to be applied during the 2026 World Cup after a case occurred in the Champions League, when Gianluca Prestianni was accused of directing racist insults at Vinícius Júnior while covering his mouth, which made it difficult to verify what had happened.
In the case of Cucurella, it did not warrant a red card because there was no prior situation of confrontation between the two players.
On social media, videos from lip-reading experts and users also circulated, asserting that Cucurella only asked Messi if he was okay after Enzo Fernández was sent off for the hard tackle on Pau Cubarsí.
Pilar Rodríguez Losantos también carga contra la FIFA y jugadores argentinos
The Spanish host also criticized FIFA, which she described as "the most corrupt organization on the planet," in addition to launching strong accusations against Enzo Fernández and Leandro Paredes.
"I don't hate Argentina, I hate FIFA, which is the most corrupt organization on planet Earth and helps Argentina systematically for economic reasons," she claimed.
Likewise, she questioned the performance of Enzo Fernández and the aggression committed by Leandro Paredes against Gavi during the final.
"Yesterday, Enzo Fernández's attitude was such that he should have been sent off eight games ago. The attitude of Paredes with the punch he gave Gavi, in which he could have almost killed him... I mean, an absolutely terrible thing. It was, I insist, an action for which he should be banned from international competitions forever," she added.
[Publicidad]