Donald Trump’s World Cup prediction ended in embarrassment on Sunday as Spain beat Argentina 1-0 — and the US president was then snubbed by Argentina defender Cristian Romero.
Before the match, Trump had told Fox he was backing Argentina because of Lionel Messi. “It’s hard to bet against Messi,” he said, describing Messi’s semi-final assist against England as “perfect”. He also called Argentinian president Javier Milei a “friend” who had done a “terrific job”.
“Argentina's Cristian Romero snubbed Donald Trump's handshake after Spain beat them 1-0 in the World Cup final.”
But Spain’s victory meant Trump was left presenting the trophy to the wrong team. As the Spain players celebrated, the president awkwardly invaded their festivities, with Fifa president Gianni Infantino trying to usher him away, according to footage.
Worse was to come. After the final whistle, as Trump offered a handshake to Argentina players, Tottenham captain Cristian Romero walked past without taking it. The moment was captured on video and quickly went viral.
The snub came amid ugly scenes. Argentina’s Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes were involved in a brawl after the match, with Molina throwing a punch. Both could face Fifa action. Messi himself was branded a “baby” after asking for Spain’s Marc Cucurella to be sent off during the game.
Trump had earlier told Fox he had “an idea” for Infantino about the next World Cup. He suggested the US should host again with another country to “take out some of the anger”. He said: “Based on the numbers, we will be requesting it again immediately.”
His son Barron, a “tremendous soccer fan”, had provided him with information about players including Kylian Mbappe. Trump also declined to say whether Messi was the greatest of all time, citing his friendship with Cristiano Ronaldo and memories of watching Pele.
For now, though, Trump’s Argentine allegiance has left him on the losing side — and with a handshake still hanging in the air.