Lionel Messi stood on the MetLife Stadium pitch on Sunday with his hands on his hips and watched, impassive, as his team-mates disgraced themselves. Spain had won 1-0. Within seconds of the final whistle, the pitch had turned into a fight.

Leandro Paredes kicked, slapped and shoved Eric García to the ground and grabbed him by the neck, before turning on Gavi. Nahuel Molina struck Rodri on the arm as the Spain midfielder ran from the bench to celebrate, and Argentina’s coaching staff were involved too.

But Messi did not move. When he finally did, he walked, one by one, around the pitch and shook the hand of every Spanish player.

‘Disgusting behaviour’

Working as a BBC pundit, former England goalkeeper Joe Hart was blunt:

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“The game’s done. They could have absolutely no complaints about what happened today. Disgusting behaviour.”

Hart then singled out the one exception:

“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.”

Rodri, who was himself struck by Molina, later told reporters that he had wanted no part in it:

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“I pulled myself away because I wasn’t looking for any trouble,” he said.

“When I looked back, it was complete chaos.”

He added:

“You can lose a final, but you can’t lose your discipline.”

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FIFA opens investigation

FIFA has opened a disciplinary case into Argentina’s conduct at the final whistle. Enzo Fernández had already been sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow card, and Paredes’s dismissal made it two red cards for the defending champions on the night.

The Argentina squad also skipped the mixed zone, leaving through a back exit. Only head coach Lionel Scaloni fronted the press conference:

“They were the better side, that’s the truth,” he said, “but I’ll cherish the memory of what they achieved, and of the value of making it this far.”

Messi’s post on social media

Messi, who did not speak to the media in the stadium, broke his silence the following day on social media.

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“The pain is immense, and it will take time for this wound to heal,” the 39-year-old wrote.

On Spain:

“They were better, to be honest. We lost the game, and we accept that.”

He finished the tournament with eight goals and four assists. The post said nothing about whether he intends to play for Argentina again.

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The last image of the greatest World Cup career in the men’s game may well be the one Hart described: the captain, alone, going round the pitch to shake the hand of every opponent while his team-mates threw punches behind him.