'Embarrassing' Argentina World Cup star was famously humiliated by Virgil van Dijk
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Liverpool FC NewsVirgil Van DijkLiverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has already had a run-in with Argentina on the FIFA World Cup stage, where he humiliated one of the villains from the most recent final.Virgil van Dijk already humiliated one of Argentina's World Cup villains(Image: (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images))Argentina's antics in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday certainly caught the headlines following the team's defeat to Spain, as plenty of players were criticized for their conduct in the match.The ill-tempered clash saw the Albiceleste struggle to lay a glove on La Roja, failing to register a single shot in the regulation 90 minutes in an affair that became stop-start with the number of fouls committed. One of the key challenges came from Enzo Fernandez, who picked up a red card in stoppage time, leaving Argentina in a difficult position heading into extra time.A goal from Ferran Torres in the additional 30 minutes sealed the victory for Spain, but the scenes were ugly after the final whistle, as several punches were seemingly thrown by the slain former world champions.Among them was Leandro Paredes, who appeared to grab Eric Garcia by the throat, before slamming Gavi to the ground in a brawl that saw tensions boil over.The 32-year-old, who previously enjoyed spells at PSG, Roma, and Juventus in Europe before joining Bocas Juniors, was roundly criticized for his part in the scenes that followed Argentina's defeat.“It’s quite embarrassing really," Micah Richards claimed on the BBC's coverage of the World Cup final.
"In the game, they were just on the cusp every single time.“Paredes doesn’t need to do that, he’s better than that, and it doesn’t stop there – it keeps going and going and going. We all know what it’s like to lose a game, we can be very frustrated, but this is not good enough – it’s not a good look at all.”Paredes was shown a red card for his actions at the full-time whistle(Image: 2026 CameraSport)The midfielder ended up becoming one of several villains to come out of the match, but it's not the first time he's been involved in such an intense encounter.Paredes was caught in a similar way in a spicy affair between Argentina and the Netherlands back in the 2022 World Cup, with both teams seeing tensions boil over once again.The former Juventus man controversially booted the ball at the Netherlands bench from close-range, which wasn't necessary, provoking an angry reaction from the players.Content cannot be displayed without consentWhile Paredes looked to escape, he was duly humiliated by Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, who ran over and bodied the midfielder to the ground.It became a famous moment, though it was one that ultimately didn't count for much as the Netherlands lost on penalties with Argentina's reaction to the victory coming into question once again.It was yet another display of the gamesmanship on show from the team, with Van Dijk among the very few to take such antics on the pitch.Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Virgil Van DijkFIFA World Cup