‘It was sad to see’ - Rooney condemns Messi’s desperation to get Cucurella sent off

The tense final, which Spain won 1-0, saw a heated confrontation between Messi and the new Real Madrid defender. 

The incident occurred late in the game after Enzo Fernandez's red card for a foul on Pau Cubarsi sparked a wider dispute between the two teams.

Messi was seen exchanging sharp words with Cucurella before pointing at his opponent for trying to cover his mouth. 

Rooney expressed his disappointment with the Argentine captain's conduct. "It is desperation. Argentina play like that; we know that’s what they do," the former Manchester United striker told BBC Sport. 

"But the one thing you want is good sportsmanship, and it was sad to see Lionel Messi doing that."

The match concluded on a sour note for Messi and the 2022 champions. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in extra time to secure Spain's victory. 

In a telling statistic, Argentina failed to register a single shot on target throughout the entire 120 minutes of play.

Luis de la Fuente's Spanish side controlled the game, enjoying 65% possession and taking 20 shots, with 12 on target. They had a goal from Nico Williams disallowed earlier for a foul on Nicolas Otamendi.

Frustrations boiled over after the final whistle, leading to a mass brawl involving several players. The scuffle required Argentina's coach, Lionel Scaloni, to intervene and restore order.