Mariano Pernía on the final: “The scoreline flattered them” | OneFootball

The former Argentine footballer who became a Spanish citizen, Mariano Pernía, analyzed the World final and was emphatic in his assessment of Spain's performance. The former full-back believed the 1-0 win over Argentina was a “narrow” result and said that Luis de la Fuente’s side should “have won by a bigger margin”.

With mixed feelings because of his Argentine past and his ties to Spain, Pernía admitted that he wanted the Albiceleste to win, although he said La Roja were the rightful winners of the final. “Obviously, my wish was for Argentina to win because I lived there for 41 years and eight in Spain”, the former left-back acknowledged.

“If I had to choose a winner, it was Argentina, but losing to Spain was the least painful defeat. In Spain I made my name as a footballer and experienced very special things over eight years”, he explained.

Although he came through at Independiente and ended his career at Tigre, the 49-year-old former defender had a long spell in Spanish football, where he wore the shirts of Recreativo de Huelva, Getafe and Atlético Madrid.

His eight years in Europe opened the door for him to represent the Spanish national team, and he even played at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Pernía, who revealed that his children have already asked him for the Spain shirt “with the two stars,” regretted that after the final there was “a lot of noise” that had little to do with sport.

“I think it all started with statements from other countries, not Spain, that cast doubt on Argentina’s victories. De la Fuente has always been a gentleman and rose to the occasion. But people kept saying that FIFA wanted Messi to win”, the former full-back explained about the constant criticism the national team received throughout the World Cup.

He also referred to the disgraceful incidents involving Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina and Roberto Ayala after the match, and said that it is something that “cannot be done because a billion people are watching you on television”.

“You have to set an example for young people. In life you have to be wholesome and clean. You congratulate them, you applaud, and that’s it, because they were the best”, Pernía summed up, praising the attitude of Lionel Messi and Lionel Scaloni, who publicly acknowledged Spain’s superiority.

“Football was fair to Spain, who were the best. And to Argentina too, since they were able to reach the final thanks to Messi’s effort. The trophy went to the best team, the one that defended best, had the ball more, and attacked best. That’s all there is to it”, Pernía concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.