Mikel Merino was caught imitating Donald Trump’s trademark dance as Spain’s jubilant squad celebrated their World Cup final victory over Argentina.
Ferran Torres made himself an overnight national hero in a scrappy and ill-tempered contest in New Jersey, coming on to score the decisive goal in extra-time after Enzo Fernandez had been sent off for a second bookable offence.
Luis de la Fuente’s side were much the better team at MetLife Stadium, forcing Emiliano Martinez to make a total of 11 stops across the match – a new record for the most saves made in a men’s World Cup final.
La Roja also enjoyed over 65 per cent of the possession, with Argentina – the 2022 champions – failing to register a single shot on target in a flat and uninspiring performance on the big stage.
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Lionel Scaloni’s men stopped at nothing to get under the skin of their Spanish opposition and this even extended beyond the final whistle as Leandro Paredes for shown a red card following a violent clash with Gavi and Eric Garcia.
But the hostility turned to joy and celebration as Rodri and the rest of Spain’s squad gathered on the podium to hold the coveted trophy aloft in front of their adoring fans who had remained in the stadium.
Trump tried his best to gatecrash the party and had to be shepherded away from the stage – a repeat of his awkward behaviour following Chelsea’s Club World Cup win last summer.
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Just moments earlier, when Trump’s back was turned, Arsenal midfielder Merino was seen mimicking the US president’s famous dance while laughing hysterically.
But while Merino appeared to see the funny side of Trump’s bizarre antics, Argentina defenders Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero were both captured refusing to shake the 80-year-old’s hand as they collected their runners-up medals.
Speaking ahead of the match, Spain and Celta Vigo striker Borja Iglesias made no secret of his reluctance in shaking Trump’s hand should the situation arise.
‘Yeah, look, I don’t want to go to jail, you know?’ Iglesias told Revista Panenka with a smile.
‘So it’s something I’ve thought about, something I’ve even imagined. I hope to greet him at a time when we’re all very happy and that it passes very quickly and I forget about it.
‘Sometimes you have to forget moments you’ve lived, too.
‘Let’s see, I don’t think this is the time to create controversy. People know perfectly well what my opinion is.
‘I would love to do many things, but the reality is that even though people think I’m all-powerful, I don’t have that much power to confront certain things. It’s complicated, really.’
To cap off a remarkable campaign, Spanish captain Rodri was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon came away with the Golden Glove, while central defender Pau Cubarsi was named as the best young player.
France forward Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, became the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice after finishing as top scorer with ten goals to his name.
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