“Make Spain Great Again,” a phrase sharing an uncanny resemblance with the Donald Trump-touted slogan “Make America Great Again,” was trending on X earlier today. MAGA’s Spanish adaptation’s soaring popularity on social media is credited to Spain’s FIFA World Cup Final hero, Ferran Torres.

The Spanish No. 7 helped his country gain a jaw-dropping edge over Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, whose stellar saves during the July 19 game earned him the “brick wall” nickname after the football match swiftly went past the 90-minute mark without either opponent scoring a goal. The following day, he went viral on social media once again for wearing a ‘Make Spain Great Again’ cap, mimicking Trump’s signature red MAGA merchandise, during a homecoming parade as tens of thousands of Spanish fans welcomed the World Cup champions back.

Spain’s World Cup hero wears ‘Make Spain Great Again’ cap

The video currently gaining traction on SNS captures a shirtless Torres towering over a crowd of Spaniards while riding on a vehicle and donning the cap in question. Various iterations of the clip had already gained hundreds of thousands of views individually.

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As the visuals of Torres proudly sporting the cap while celebrating the Spanish victory on the global football stage continued to draw attention on X, social media users became embroiled in debates over interpretations of the conspicuous fashion choice. While some viewed it as an extension of his support for Trump, others believed it was his way of throwing shade at the US president, who was present to hand over the World Cup trophy to Spain after the final buzzer.

Some users took a step further in speculating whether the video spreading like wildfire on X was a “deepfake.” However, those conversations were immediately put to rest when people realised that the World Cup final’s goal-scorer had first posted the clip on his own Instagram Stories.

Viral World Cup final moments featuring Trump

Awkward scenes during Spain’s trophy-lifting celebrations after the final game on Monday (US time) also caught a hard-to-miss moment where FIFA President Gianni Infantino appeared to usher Trump so that a player-only camera click could be snapped. Although the US president ultimately refused to get off the stage, the final results posted on official football SNS handles showed a different picture altogether.

On one hand, the Spanish national team’s social media post had many speculating that the European team edited Trump out of the photo. On the other hand, a Kodak moment shared by the FIFA account essentially framed the team’s picture in such a compact way that an out-of-frame Trump’s shoulder may only be spotted by eagle-eyed viewers or simply go missing by most who may be unaware of the situational context.

Since we’re getting all the narratives straight, even the photo circulated by the Spanish national team’s account doesn’t actually magically make Trump disappear. It just so happens that photographers responsible for clicking Spain’s victorious celebrations pressed the camera button from an angle when the POTUS was far enough not to be included in the shot.

In a similar stunt that triggered a tsunami of viral memes at the time, the MAGA leader simply chose not to step out of the frame after presenting medals at last year’s inaugural FIFA Club World Cup. The American commander-in-chief was even pocketing one of the championship medals after Chelsea’s stunning 3-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain.

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Trump’s mentions alongside the 2026 FIFA World Cup have similarly gained controversial status this year, especially owing to his personal intervention in urging Infantino to review US striker Folarin Balogun’s red card in the round of 32.

Another misleading post that went viral after the World Cup final on Monday suggested that 19-year-old Spanish star player Lamine Yamal “disrespected” Trump during the medal presentation on stage by pulling his hand away during a handshake with the US president. However, edited iterations of the actual video have been intentionally slowed down and cut off at a certain point to make it seem that way. The truth is, Yamal did eventually shake Trump’s hand.

Disclaimer: The content in this article is based on a viral social media discussion and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The opinions mentioned are personal to the user. This story does not constitute financial advice or an endorsement of any specific opinion.