Barcelona's Dani Olmo has spoken out about the assault he suffered after the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at the hands of former Argentina international defender Roberto Ayala, who now works within Argentina's coaching staff.
Chaos and clashes engulfed the pitch after the 2026 World Cup final, with Spain edging Argentina 1-0. At the centre of one of its most controversial moments stood Roberto Ayala, assistant to manager Lionel Scaloni, in his clash with Olmo.
Speaking to the newspaper "Diari de Terrassa", Olmo took aim at Ayala for trying to justify his actions rather than owning up to them.
Olmo said, according to the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo": "A person who claims to feel remorse, then justifies a punch as a reaction, perhaps does not feel remorse at all, because he is lying. I said nothing to him, so I don't need his apology."
He added: "What truly defines us is not the mistake itself, but the courage to admit it."
Winning the world title brings a special feeling too, the midfielder confirmed.
He continued: "When my children, my family, and many fans and residents of Terrassa watch the match, I want them to be proud of how we competed, how we won, and above all, of our conduct, because the importance of football means that we as players are role models for children and the new generations, and that carries great responsibility. But thank God, this is what they saw indeed, and that we are world champions after all this effort."
Just days ago, Ayala had gone public to defend his position. "We have to put an end to this matter and leave it at that. That is why I say I take responsibility, because it was just a push, no more. It was not a punch as they claim. It was just a push, no more, and the matter ended there," he said.
The former defender also claimed his reaction sprang from a comment made by Olmo. "It was a reaction to something he said, no more. That is why I will apologise to him personally. I don't get the chance now, but it's fine, what happened happened. This has happened thousands of times," he said.