By God’sbest Christ’sfullness
Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez has defended his country’s national team following criticism of its conduct during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting there is no reason for the backlash.
The Manchester United centre-back said claims that Argentina were arrogant were unfair, maintaining that the players showed respect to every opponent throughout the tournament.
Speaking to Foot Mercato, Martinez said, “I’m a little annoyed because they have no real reason to hate us. They say we are arrogant, but that says more about them than about us. We have always been very respectful towards every opponent we have faced.”
Argentina’s campaign ended with a 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the World Cup final, where Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal to hand Spain a second world title.
The team, however, came under scrutiny during the tournament over its physical style of play and incidents involving players, including a FIFA investigation into a Falklands/Malvinas banner displayed during the semi-final celebrations.
Martinez had earlier reacted to the final defeat on social media, writing that “the fall of the great is the happiness of the mediocre,” a comment that also attracted widespread attention.
Despite the criticism, the defender insisted Argentina’s players believe they conducted themselves respectfully throughout the competition and said the controversy had created an unfair perception of the team.
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