The White House has spoken out after Spain’s goalscoring hero was spotted wearing a ‘Make Spain Great Again’ cap during the celebrations that followed his country’s World Cup triumph.
Ferran Torres found the net in extra time in New Jersey on Sunday, helping Spain defeat Argentina and secure just the second World Cup title in the nation’s history.
The win capped a dramatic run for Spain at the tournament, with the final decided in the 106th minute and the celebrations quickly becoming one of the most talked-about moments of the World Cup.
Speaking to FIFA’s broadcasters after the win over Messi’s side, Torres said:
“I think in the end the goal came from 47 million people [the estimated Spain population], not just those of us that are here.
“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.”
After returning to Madrid, Spain’s players were welcomed by huge crowds during an open-top bus parade, where Torres again became a talking point.
The Barcelona forward appeared wearing a ‘Make Spain Great Again’ hat, clearly echoing Donald Trump’s well-known ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan.
The White House later addressed Torres’ choice of headwear in a post on X, writing: “Everyone wants in on the movement.”
Everyone wants in on the movement. https://t.co/FeCJrFZyEE
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 21, 2026
The slogan has long carried political overtones in Spain as well as in the United States, with commentators pointing out that the phrase has previously been used by Spain’s right-wing Vox party. That has fuelled debate over whether Torres was making a political statement, satirising Trump, or simply leaning into a viral joke at the height of the celebrations.
It is still not known what motivated Torres to wear the cap, whether it was intended as a dig at the Trump administration or simply a nod to the fact the president handed Spain the World Cup trophy.
Even so, the accessory drew criticism from some quarters. Spanish outlet El Plural described it as a ‘clear ideological message, provoking a multitude of criticism’ online.
Torres did not appear concerned by the backlash, though, and later shared multiple photos from the parade on X, including several images featuring the hat.
“Somos los reyessssss! Vaya locura!” Torres captioned the post, which translates to “We are the kings! It’s absolutely crazy!”