Lisandro Martinez responds to ‘Anti-Argentina’ campaign and denies disrespecting Spain during World Cup celebrations

Argentina’s 2026 World Cup run ended without gold following a heartbreaking final loss to Spain, leaving the silver medal as a meager consolation prize. Throughout and after the tournament, the Albiceleste and its players found themselves under heavy fire from global media outlets and social media users. A week after the final, defender Lisandro Martinez pushed back against the so-called “Anti-Argentina” campaign and denied allegations that the team disrespected Spain during postgame celebrations.

Four years after their storybook title run in 2022, Lionel Messi and company were cast as the villains of the 2026 edition. Critics labeled Argentina’s style of play as “dirty,” pointing to a string of heavy fouls, yellow cards, and controversial refereeing decisions. However, the online narrative quickly spiraled beyond tactics into an effort to discredit the team’s achievements, with discussions often degrading into broader slurs against Argentine culture and its people.

Back in his hometown of Gualeguay, Argentina, Martinez was asked directly about the online backlash and didn’t hold back: “I have quite a few mixed feelings about it. A little bit of anger because clearly they have no basis to generate that hate. Then I also see how my teammates fight on the pitch, how the fans encourage us, how they make us feel at home, and they talk about us being arrogant, about us being this or that… maybe that speaks a bit more about the people who do those things than about us.“

Martinez sets the record straight on Spain trophy ceremony

Another flashpoint in the postgame fallout involved the behavior of Argentina’s squad during Spain’s trophy ceremony. As the Spain players stood on the podium celebrating and hoisting the World Cup trophy, camera angles showed the Argentine roster standing near the sideline with their backs turned toward La Roja.

The moment came shortly after the final whistle, which saw a viral scuffle break out between players from both sides. However, head coach Lionel Scaloni dismissed any notion of bad blood in his postgame press conference, insisting his team meant no disrespect toward the newly crowned World Cup champions.

The Manchester United center back echoed his manager’s sentiments, categorically denying any intention to snub Spain. “We were always very respectful of the opponent. It was also said that after the final, we hadn’t acknowledged Spain. We greeted all the players, all the coaching staff, we were there” Martinez stated.

Martínez concluded by clarifying the context behind the viral image of the team facing away from the stage after falling short of back-to-back titles: “And then obviously the image that you see where we are turning our backs is when we our people were singing to us, right? So, it was also a show of respect towards our people, staying there in the moment that we had to stay.“