British journalist Piers Morgan, known for his close relationship with star Cristiano Ronaldo, sparked widespread controversy after attacking the Argentine national team following their qualification for the 2026 World Cup final at the expense of England.
Morgan's comments came after Argentina's 2-1 victory in the semi-final, where he posted an angry message on his X platform account, saying: "I hope Spain crushes you in the final, just as we defeated you in the Falklands War."
I hope Spain beat them as badly in the Final as we beat them in the Falklands War. pic.twitter.com/mC1YWVWfIb
His tweet came in response to the Argentine players' celebration after the match, when they raised a banner that read "The Malvinas Islands are Argentine," in reference to the historic dispute between Argentina and Britain over the islands.
This was not Morgan's first stance during the match, as he continued his criticism of the Argentine national team and Lionel Messi, and mocked during the first half by asking: "Is Messi playing today?", before the course of the match turned around and the Argentine national team led its return to the final.
Morgan is known for his continued support of Cristiano Ronaldo, and he has previously confirmed on more than one occasion that he does not consider Lionel Messi to be the best player in the history of football, but rather believes that the Argentine legend Diego Maradona surpasses him, which, in his view, puts him out of comparison with Ronaldo.
This was not the first time Morgan had stirred controversy over the Malvinas Islands issue, as about two and a half months earlier he had entered into a heated dispute with Eric Trump, the son of US President Donald Trump, after hints about the possibility of the United States withdrawing its support for Britain in this dispute.
The controversy saw the Argentine Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, enter the fray in a sarcastic manner, as he reposted Morgan's tweet and commented on it, saying: "Always remember that this comment comes from the only person in the world who thinks Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Messi." This response received widespread interaction across social media platforms at the time.
