Leandro Paredes hints at joining Messi in retirement after 10-match ban
By Luke Oluoch, September 4, 2026Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes has hinted at retiring from international football after being slapped with a 10-match ban for the 2026 World Cup final brawl against Spain.
Paredes was slapped with the lengthy ban for his role in the on-field clashes that followed Argentina’s 1-0 defeat by Spain during the feisty 2026 World Cup final.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee also handed Paredes’ teammate Nahuel Molina a seven-match suspension, with both players fined Ksh12.5 million.
Meanwhile, Argentina was also ordered to play their next two home matches at 50 per cent capacity, although one match of the sanction has been suspended.
Guilty
Following the revelation, Paredes, who now plies his trade with Argentinian giants Boca Juniors, broke his silence, admitting that it would be hard for him to return to the national team.
According to a FIFA inquiry into the chaos, Paredes was found to have grabbed Spain defender Eric Garcia by the throat and wrestled Gavi to the ground before appearing to strike the midfielder in the face.
“It will be difficult for me to continue with the national team because of the suspension and Leo Messi’s decision. If he is not there, it is difficult for everything to keep working the same way.
“We set the bar very high, and continuing to achieve important things will be difficult. We built an incredible group, and our leader, Leo, won’t be there anymore.
I’ll speak with the coach, but it will be difficult,” he added.
The revelations come after his teammate and bossom friend Lionel Messi also called time on his stint with the Albiceleste after the World Cup debacle.
Messi announced his retirement from Argentina duty after winning 207 caps on August 31, 2026.
The 39-year-old, who made his Argentina debut in 2005, won the World Cup in 2022 and was a runner-up this summer and in 2014. He also secured two Copa América titles.
In an emotional revelation, the multiple-time Ballon’Dor winner said he had written his retirement statement on 21 July, two days after the World Cup final, and that the death last month of his father, Jorge, had confirmed it was the right moment to publish it and end his international career.
He joined the list of World Cup veterans who featured for their final World Cup in the North African games, such as Gullermo Ochoa, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Manuel Neuer, among other big stars of the ‘beautiful game’