Less than a week on from his World Cup-winning goal, Ferran Torres seems to have alienated swathes of the Spanish public.
The Barcelona forward scored the decisive goal in extra-time against Argentina to win Spain’s second championship, but a choice of attire during celebrations has caused a stir.
Torres was seen wearing a ‘Make Spain Great Again’ cap during a bus parade in the style of Donald Trump’s red hat.
Spanish and American far-right jump on Torres hat
The choice was instantly pounced upon by the White House, who posted on social media: “Everyone wants to be part of the movement.”
Spain’s far-right party VOX then got a sniff of a chance to mix sport and politics as parties of their ilk so often criticise.
MP Carina Mejías wrote: “Jealousy has always been the fuel of mediocrity.
“While some devote themselves to criticising, Ferran Torres responds where it counts: on the pitch.”
Ferran Torres’ far-right leanings
While Torres may have possibly just been making a joke, the evidence doesn’t support that theory.
Torres is a close friend of teammate and Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente.
Llorente, who has no scientific qualifications, is famous for bringing far-right conspiracies into football, and made a number of nationalist comments during the tournament.
Speaking at the start of the campaign, Torres, who believes in chemtrails, a conspiracy debunked in the 1980s, got overly offended when asked about an opening draw to Cape Verde.
“We accept the criticism,” he said. “There are two sides: those who have unwavering faith in him [Luis de la Fuente] and those who criticise him.
“It’s the Spanish national team. I don’t understand why there’s no support, whether they’ve won or not.
“Anyone who doesn’t support Luis de La Fuente and isn’t a fan of the national team isn’t Spanish.
“Should I start? Yes, I don’t care. They’ll call me a fascist and all that. The same old story. I don’t care who starts.”
Torres has also previously criticised Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who was one of the first major leaders to condemn the US-Israeli invasion of Iran.
The US declared victory upon the bombing campaign in February, but five months later the war continues with fuel prices rocketing worldwide, crippling the Spanish economy among many others.
Former Spain right-back Dani Carvajal was also closely associated with VOX, inviting leaders to his VIP box at the Bernabeu.
He also infamously appeared to snub Sanchez upon returning from a successful Euro 2024 campaign.
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