Argentina player completely snubs Donald Trump in brutal moment at World Cup final

Argentina’s Cristian Romero appeared to completely avoid shaking hands with Donald Trump as the US president handed out medals to the runners-up.

The awkward moment took place on the podium following the defending champions’ 1-0 extra-time loss at the World Cup in New Jersey at the MetLife Stadium yesterday (19 July).

Footage shows Tottenham defender Romero, 28, lining up with his team to receive their medals during the presentation, with players first shaking hands with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, the Argentine appears to walk straight past Trump and move on to shake hands with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Commenting on X, some fans were divided as to if it was an ‘intentional’ snub, with one noticing: “I don’t see the snub. President Trump did not even reach his hand to him because he was reaching for another medal.”

Someone else reckoned: “President Trump clearly was not shaking any one’s hands. He was putting their medals around the players' necks, that’s all. If you can’t see that then you are blind!”

Another person joked: “First classy thing Romero has ever done.”

Cristian Romero airing Trump.

Fair play.

pic.twitter.com/hn1jok7jUR

— Out of Context Football Manager (@nocontextfm1) July 19, 2026

Someone else commented: “The last thing I expected from the final was that I’d end up liking an Argentine.”

When it comes to slightly awkward team trophy presentations, last year’s Chelsea Club World Cup trophy presentation also springs to mind. During the event, Trump remained on the winners’ podium after handing the trophy to Chelsea’s Reece James after beating Paris St Germain, with match-winner Cole Palmer going on to admit he was 'confused' by the situation.

During Sunday’s World Cup final, there were more awkward scenes as Trump handed the World Cup trophy to Spain and again stayed on as the team celebrated. Spain’s skipper Rodri appeared to gently guide the president to the side of the stage, but he could still be seen on the outskirts as the team celebrated.

Elsewhere, Argentina faced criticism, with former England goalkeeper Joe Hart saying their behaviour was 'disgusting' following their loss to Spain. Their World Cup dreams were dashed as Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute. But the game saw Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez sent off with a second yellow card, and there were also ‘ugly’ scenes at full-time involving Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina as brawls broke out.

BBC pundit Hart said: “There was one man on the pitch who did have class and that was Lionel Messi, who shook hands with every one of those Spanish players. The game’s done. They could have absolutely no complaints about what happened today. Disgusting behaviour.”

He added: “Spain fully deserve it. They have been absolutely superb all tournament.

“They have dominated all game against a rigid, rugged Argentina. The best team has won this World Cup.”

The Argentine team were also criticised earlier on in the World Cup for their behaviour, notably during their 2-1 semi-final win over England, after which the players held up a banner claiming sovereignty of the Falklands Islands.

Wayne Rooney said of Argentina’s behaviour: “Does it surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me. We’ve seen this with Argentina before. It’s just not the reaction you want. We’ve seen some of the reaction after knocking England out in the last round.

“That’s just sad. If you lose a game of football, be graceful and get out of there. It’s really poor from them.”

There was also no shortage of celebrity power at the event as Tom Cruise gave a cringeworthy speech, before stars like Madonna, Justin Bieber and Shakira performed in the half-time show.