Spain star praised for 'standing up' to Donald Trump during World Cup trophy lift

Donald Trump was reluctant to leave the podium as Spain’s squad gathered to lift the World Cup (Picture: Getty)

Rodri is being lauded in the Spanish media for ‘standing up’ to United States President Donald Trump as the side celebrated their

World Cup final victory over Argentina

.

Ferran Torres’ extra-time goal proved the difference in a scrappy and bad-tempered contest, in which Argentina were reduced to ten men after

Enzo Fernandez

was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Spain were much the better team in New Jersey, enjoying 65 per cent of the possession as Argentina goalkeeper

Emiliano Martinez

broke the record for the most stops in a men’s World Cup final with 11 saves.

La Roja’s win is the nation’s second on the global stage – after victory in 2010 – and comes just two years after their

Euro 2024

triumph under Luis de la Fuente.

After their stunning

fightback to eliminate England in the semi-finals

, Argentina, the holders, tried their best to get under the skin of their Spanish opposition and were shown a total of six yellow cards across the contest.

And the ill feeling extended beyond the final whistle as

Leandro Paredes was shown a straight red card

, while Argentina defender

Nahuel Molina was pictured punching Spanish captain Rodri

to spark a mass brawl involving both sets of players.

Soon after,

Nicolas Otamendi appeared to accuse Rodri and the rest of Spain’s jubilant squad of influencing referee Slavko Vincic

throughout the encounter.

Torres was the hero for Spain (Picture: Getty)

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But the hostility and bitterness was soon swept aside as Rodri and his fellow countryman gathered on the podium to lift the coveted trophy at MetLife Stadium.

Just as he had done after

Chelsea’s Club World Cup final defeat of Paris Saint-Germain

, Trump – no doubt sensing a photo opportunity – refused to leave the stage and was seen standing awkwardly beside the squad after handing over the prize over to Rodri.

Rodri and FIFA president Gianni Infantino both attempted to shepherd Trump away, with the Manchester City midfielder forced to delay the lift until the 80-year-old got the message – which he eventually did after some gentle persuading.

Only moments earlier,

Argentina stars Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero were both captured skipping handshakes with Trump

as they collected their runners-up medals.

‘Bravo to the captain of the Spanish national team who stood his ground and stood up to Donald Trump leaving the photo,’ Spanish presenter Dani Garrido said on

Cadena SER’s Carrusel Deportivo

programme.

De la Fuente’s side were much the better team in New Jersey (Picture: Getty)

Trump was seemingly desperate to join in the celebrations (Picture: Getty)

‘Only when he confirmed he was out of frame did he lift the trophy

‘That takes a lot of personality. Bravo to

Rodri

, it’s no joke.

‘We see people in photos who shouldn’t be there, and he stayed until the very end, until Trump stepped out of the frame, because he wanted to be in the picture.

‘And when he left, he lifted the

World Cup

.’

👏 Bravo por RODRI que ha aguantado CON SUS SANTOS COJONES a que TRUMP se quitara de la foto

🇪🇸 ¡BRAVO BRAVO Y BRAVO!

pic.twitter.com/IT3ptACNZo

— Carrusel Deportivo (@carrusel)

July 19, 2026

‘Spain national team captain Rodri “gently” sends Trump – who is trying to get into the frame for a photo during the championship celebration—out of the shot,’ one fan wrote on X.

‘Long live the captain!’

Another said: ‘No surprise Trump didn’t want to leave the stage.

‘Love how Rodri trying to shoo him off. Even Infantino couldn’t get him off!’

A third joked: ‘Rodri has controlled the pace of the match to the point of scaring off Trump. Everything calculated.’

President Donald J. Trump presents the World Cup Trophy to Spain, the 2026

@FIFAWorldCup

Champions! 🏆

pic.twitter.com/SHsoBhYm1b

— The White House (@WhiteHouse)

Speaking shortly after the trophy lift, Rodri thanked Spain’s fans for their support across the tournament after what had been a difficult 12 months for him personally following knee surgery.

‘Individual titles are secondary for me. These past two years have been tough, a time of growth and self-belief,’ he told reporters.

‘I’ve been able to unleash my full potential, given my physical condition. I’ve performed at a high level progressively, and I thank you all for your support

‘Everything I’m going through doesn’t make much sense. I try to do the best I can.

‘I hit rock bottom at one of the toughest points in my career, and I managed to pull myself back up. There’s someone helping me from above.’

Despite Argentina’s questionable tactics, Rodri made sure to applaud Lionel Scaloni’s squad on their ‘incredible achievement’ of reaching back-to-back World Cup finals.

‘It’s true they didn’t create many chances, but it was difficult for us to hurt them,’ he added.

‘They’re a team that speaks for itself; they’ve made history in their own way, with the Copa America, with the World Cup, reaching another final. Incredible achievement.

‘For me, the feat we accomplished today is beyond words. The most difficult World Cup to win, and this group of lads has done it.’

After a magnificent campaign, Rodri was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon came away with the Golden Glove, while central defender Pau Cubarsi was named as the best young player.

France superstar 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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