Butrika. Rodri is not the best…and Argentina = Messi + 10 sticks

Former Egypt star Mohamed Abutrika sparked controversy after the 2026 World Cup final when he criticized the selection of Spain’s Rodry as the tournament’s best player, insisting that Lionel Messi deserved the award despite Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the final.

Abu Trika, in his analysis on BeIN Sports, said that Rodri played an outstanding tournament, but did not believe he deserved the best player award, adding:

The former Al-Ahly legend went on to defend the Argentina captain, stressing that Messi has carried his country’s national team on his shoulders throughout the tournament, saying:

Despite defending Messi, Abutrica insisted Spain deserved to win the 2026 World Cup title after beating Argentina 1-0 in the final.

He explained that the popular saying “finalists win, not play” did not apply to this final as the best team was the winner, adding:

Abutrica also praised the current generation of the Spanish national team as one of the best in La Roja’s history, after they managed to win the European Cup of Nations and then the World Cup, repeating the feat of the golden generation that dominated world football from 2008-2012.