Argentinian Leandro Paredes broke his silence after his country's defeat in the World Cup final to Spain, but avoided addressing his role in the violent brawl with Spain players that followed the match.

Paredes now faces uncertainty, as FIFA is set to investigate the unfortunate incidents despite the red card he received being rescinded.

Paredes finally spoke for the first time since Argentina's loss to Spain in the World Cup final, which ended in chaotic scenes after the final whistle, as the referee showed the midfielder a red card after the match ended with a single goal scored by Ferran Torres in the 106th minute, giving Spain their second World Cup title.

After the final whistle, many Argentina players engaged in a mass brawl with several Spain players.

Paredes was at the heart of the brawl after punching and pushing a player from the opposing team, as video footage showed him grabbing Eric García by the neck before grappling with Gavi and throwing him to the ground.

Despite the controversy over his actions, Paredes chose not to address the post-match brawl in his first public comments, and instead published an emotional message on his Instagram account.

Paredes wrote: 'Thank you Argentina. I love you, today and always. I write today with a heavy heart, for not being able to bring the joy that our country deserves, but with a heart full of pride because we gave our all 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 has been an honor to be part of the best Argentina team in history.'

According to reports, the brawl started when his Argentina teammate Nahuel Molina punched Spain captain Rodri, before a series of scuffles broke out between players from both teams.

Although the BBC reported that the red card shown to Paredes was later removed from the official record, and FIFA took no immediate disciplinary action, criticism of his behavior remained.