Argentine Leandro Paredes broke his silence after his country's defeat in the World Cup final against Spain, but avoided addressing his role in the violent altercation with "La Roja" players that followed the match.
The final match ended in chaotic scenes after the final whistle, with Paredes being shown a red card after Spain won 1-0.
After the final whistle, several Argentine players engaged in a mass brawl with a number of Spanish players.
Paredes was at the center of the brawl after punching and shoving a player from the opposing team, and video footage showed him grabbing Eric Garcia by the neck before grappling with Gavi and knocking him to the ground.
Paredes now faces a state of uncertainty, as FIFA is set to investigate the unfortunate events despite the red card he received being rescinded.
Despite the controversy surrounding his actions, Paredes chose not to address the post-match brawl in his first public statements, and instead posted a heartfelt message on his Instagram account.
Paredes wrote: "Thank you, Argentina. I love you, today and always. I write today with a heavy heart, because I was unable to bring the joy that our country so richly deserves, but with a heart full of pride because we did everything we could to raise our flag high once again."
He added: "Thank you to everyone who was part of this team, to this group of players who gave their all to represent this shirt, as they did until the last second of every match. It was an honor for me to be part of the best Argentine national team in history."
