‘Make Spain Great Again’ Cap Takes Aim at Trump

Spain forward Ferran Torres appeared to send a pointed message to US President Donald Trump during the national team’s victory parade after their World Cup triumph.

Torres, who scored Spain’s decisive goal in the World Cup final, was seen wearing a red baseball cap bearing the words ‘Make Spain Great Again’. The slogan was an unmistakable play on Trump’s well-known political phrase, ‘Make America Great Again’, which became closely associated with his presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2024.

The gesture came after a final that also saw Trump play a prominent role in the trophy presentation. The US president handed the World Cup trophy to the victorious Spanish side, but the ceremony was briefly overshadowed by an awkward moment as he remained on the stage while Spain’s players gathered to lift the trophy and celebrate their victory.

Torres’s choice of headwear during the celebrations in Madrid was therefore widely interpreted as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Trump’s presence at the final and his highly visible involvement throughout the tournament.

After returning to Madrid, Spain’s newly crowned world champions were given a hero’s welcome, with thousands of supporters taking part in the celebrations. The traditional victory parade provided the players with an opportunity to celebrate their historic success with fans, and it was during these festivities that Torres was photographed wearing the distinctive cap.

The message was particularly striking because Trump’s involvement with the 2026 World Cup had been a subject of considerable discussion throughout the tournament. His presence was highly visible at several stages of the competition, with his role extending beyond the final itself.

Trump’s connection with the 2026 World Cup dates back to the successful bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico to host the tournament. In 2017, during his first presidential term, Trump played a significant role in supporting the North American bid, which was eventually selected to stage the expanded World Cup.

His relationship with FIFA also came under scrutiny during the tournament. The decision to award Trump FIFA’s newly introduced Peace Prize attracted criticism from sections of the football community, with supporters and officials questioning the decision.

Another controversial issue involved United States forward Folarin Balogun before the team’s last-16 match against Belgium. Reports surrounding the tournament claimed that Trump’s influence had been used to help overturn Balogun’s suspension ahead of the match. Critics argued that political influence should have no bearing on sporting disciplinary decisions, although the circumstances surrounding the matter remained a subject of debate.

Balogun was ultimately available to play, but the United States failed to win the match. The episode nevertheless added to wider discussions about the relationship between politics, football governance and the integrity of major international tournaments.

Against that backdrop, Torres’s ‘Make Spain Great Again’ cap has attracted attention well beyond the celebrations themselves. The Barcelona forward did not directly name Trump or make an explicit political statement, but the similarity between the two slogans was clear.

The gesture also reflects how the World Cup, despite being primarily a sporting event, often becomes a stage where political and cultural messages emerge alongside the action on the pitch. In Torres’s case, a simple piece of headwear turned into a widely discussed symbol during Spain’s celebrations.

For the Spanish forward, however, the parade remained above all a celebration of victory. Having played a key role in securing the country’s World Cup triumph, Torres was among the central figures of the festivities. His choice of slogan simply added another talking point to an already memorable night for Spanish football.