World Cup hero Ferran Torres doubles down after criticism, posts picture wearing 'Make Spain Great Again' hat
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the most successful tournament in the organization's history, recently came to a close with Spain beating Argentina in extra time to win their second ever title.
It was the culmination of a remarkable defensive performance from the Spanish national team, a run where they allowed just one goal throughout the tournament. Despite facing Belgium, arguably the most talented roster in the world, France, and Argentina with one of the best goal scorers in history, Lionel Messi. But it wasn't one of their defenders that grabbed headlines afterward, it was the Cup-winning goal scorer Ferran Torres.
Torres after the match said that he felt the goal was the result of support from the Spanish population.
SPAIN BEATS ARGENTINA TO WIN 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP BEHIND FERRAN TORRES' EXTRA-TIME GOAL
"I think in the end the goal came from 47 million people [the estimated Spain population], not just those of us that are here," Torres said to FIFA broadcasters after the win, per ESPN. "Today destiny was written, it was made for us to win. We’re far from our people today but we tried to be as close as possible to them."
Then, during the parade, he was photographed wearing a red "Make Spain Great Again" hat, in an apparent reference to President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. Criticism from the political left was, predictably, swift and intense.
The deputy spokesman for the left-wing "Sumar" group in Spain immediately accused Torres of speculating in real estate, as just one example. The progressive media outlet El Plural said his hat was a "clear ideological message, provoking a multitude of criticism" on social media.
Well, Torres either didn't hear the criticism or didn't care, because in a new post on X from Tuesday evening, he posted several photos from the parade, prominently featuring the hat.
The caption, "Somos los reyessssss! Vaya locura!," roughly translates to "We are the kings! It's absolutely crazy!"
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It's still unclear whether Torres meant to wear the hat as a nod to right-wing causes in Spain, as an attempt to mock Trump, or whether it was just a fun nod to the fact that the president presented the trophy to the national team. Though it does seem that most left-leaning commentators and politicians took it as a statement of support for reforming the country, which is currently under the control of a far-left socialist government led by Pedro Sanchez.
A YouGov poll in June found that Sanchez had just a 33% approval rating, with 63% holding unfavorable views. Perhaps this was a result of his plan to give residence permits to illegal immigrants in Spain. Which, given Trump's stance on immigration enforcement , seemingly, aligns with the "MSGA" hat.
Regardless, it's telling that the Barcelona star has made no apology for wearing it, despite the criticism.