I used to be team Lionel Messi but after World Cup final I’m team Cristiano Ronaldo

Andy Goldstein has admitted that he is no longer in the Lionel Messi camp after his and Argentina’s antics in the World Cup final.

The South American giants lost to Spain at the MetLife stadium in a game that was marred by bad sportmanship and dirty tactics.

Getty

And as a result, Goldstein is now back in the Cristiano Ronaldo camp.

During the final, Messi even tried to get Marc Cucurella sent off.

Under new rules introduced by FIFA for the World Cup, a player covering their mouth while confronting an opposition player would receive a red card.

In the aftermath of Enzo Fernandez’s second yellow, Cucurella spoke to Messi and half covered his mouth.

Immediately, the response from the Argentine great was to try and get an official to look at it and send Cucurella off.

Speaking on Drive with Ben Foster, Goldstein said: “I’ve changed my mind now on Messi and Ronaldo. I was team Messi for a long time…

“But the bit where Cucurella sort of covered his mouth but didn’t, and Messi went to the headteacher and was grassing, ‘oh, he should get detention’. He didn’t need to do that.”

Foster added: “I am disappointed. I love Messi. He is everything I want from a footballer, but that was horrible.

“I think he’s desperate, and he’s reaching for everything that he possibly can, but you don’t need to do that.

“Don’t sink to those levels.”

AFP

Getty

On Messi and Argentina’s performance, he said: “I can imagine it is quite hard work trying to pull a rabbit out of the hat every single game.

“They found a way to just keep getting by. They were winning in extra time and coming from two goals down and did it round after round.

“I think they thought that they were just going to have to keep it going in exactly the same way.

“But as World Cup finals go, it was one of the worst you will ever see.

“I think Argentina outdid themselves on horribleness. What we saw at full time was as bad as it can get.

“Paredes fully lost his head and was trying to punch people in the face, and it was a horrible end to what was a bad game of football.”

On the rest of Argentina’s antics, Foster said: “It was about as one-sided a final as you are likely to see.

“It was just Argentina sitting back and Spain were just waiting. If they had scored early doors, it would have been a completely different game.

“But Argentina have got to do what they’ve got to do because they can’t compete with Spain.”

Argentina disgrace

Argentina became the first side in World Cup history to play a final and not have a shot after 90 minutes.

They ended the match with a total of two shots and none on target.

There was a huge brawl at the end of the game as Leandro Paredes was sent off but has since had his red card rescinded.

Getty

They refused to watch the trophy lift and incensed Adrian Durham and Stuart Pearce.

Speaking at the end of the final, Durham said: “They’ve been absolutely shocking.

“They’ve been a total disgrace here today. The fans, we think have been brilliant. But even during the trophy lift, also when Rodri went up to get the best player in the tournament trophy, the fans were singing Messi’s name and they were singing Argentina as well.

“They simply cannot accept that Argentina were beaten in the World Cup final.”

Durham continued and went through the whole tournament, adding: “Argentina are a total embarrassment to the game, an embarrassment to the World Cup.

“In fact, they have been an embarrassment all along really, apart from that 20 minutes against England.

“Drawn in the easiest group in World Cup history, made hard work in the knockouts against Cape Verde, needed Egypt to grab defeat from the jaws of victory to get through to the quarters where Switzerland shot themselves in the foot with a needless red card.

“England in the semis were on top, handed it on a plate to Argentina who came here to the final and totally embarrassed themselves.

“The lack of red for Messi in the group stage was predictably shocking.

“No punishment for a Falklands banner held up by the players after beating England.

“A terrible refereeing decision even gave Argentina a chance at the end of extra time here in the final.

“Argentina are cheats, they’re impossible to like. The beautiful game of football is the winner at this World Cup final.”