After the defeat against Spain, Parades issued a statement regarding Argentina’s World Cup squad, but he did not apologize for his role in the post-match brawl. He has returned to full training at Boca despite reports of cracked ribs, but Boca’s medical department is expected to carry out further tests ahead of the busy match.
“Welcome home, our captain,” Boca Juniors posted on social media alongside a photo of Paredes, but the heartfelt greeting was in stark contrast to the backlash the midfielder received after Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in extra time in Sunday’s final.
The club subsequently acknowledged the positive news regarding his fitness, saying he was training normally and that he would feature in the starting XI, although they asked him to be considered for selection on Thursday. Paredes’ swift return comes just days after his actions following Argentina’s World Cup final exit drew considerable criticism.
The 32-year-old was involved in a violent post-match altercation with Spanish players as part of a wider physical confrontation that also included Argentina teammates Nahuel Molina and Nicolas Otamendi. Paredes was seen grabbing Spain’s Eric Garcia by the neck and causing Gabi to fall to the ground during the scuffle.
BBC pundit Joe Hart harshly criticized the parade and the actions of his team-mates after the final. “The game is over. They have absolutely no complaints about what happened today. It’s disgusting,” he said. Wayne Rooney said: ‘Are you surprised? I’m not surprised.
“We’ve seen it before against Argentina. That’s not the reaction you want. We saw some of the reaction after we eliminated England in the last round. It’s really sad. When you lose a football game, you should walk away gracefully. I really feel sorry for the way they reacted.”
This was not the first time Paredes was involved in controversy on the soccer pitch. In the 2022 World Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands, he carried out a dangerous late challenge on Nathan Ake, then intentionally slammed the ball towards the Dutch bench, where Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk aggressively slammed him to the floor.
