Ferran Torres, Spain’s hero, spoke to the official broadcasters pitchside at MetLife Stadium, where he wrote a chapter of our country’s history with a goal in the 106th minute of the 2026 World Cup final against Argentina—a goal that secured our second star. Once again, it happened in extra time.
“I think today was meant for us to win. We were far from our people, but we tried to make them feel as close as possible. While all finals are tough, facing Messi on the opposing team brings a certain nervousness. We’ve always relied on ourselves—on playing our own brand of football—and I think we proved that again today,” he stated.
“I’ve faced a lot of criticism throughout this World Cup, but I believe destiny is written. Thank God. He always gives me the strength to keep going. God grants things to those who deserve them most. I want to grab that trophy and hold it as tight as I can. It’s the dream of 47 million people. We deserved it. These things come to those who deserve them most,” he added.
“Right now, I can’t think of anyone. My mind is a blank. I just want to grab the trophy and celebrate with my loved ones and the Spanish people,” Ferran Torres concluded.
“When my parents left me at the academy residence, I cried and cried. My sister was my rock.”
Ferran Torres was seven years old when Valencia CF came knocking in Foios. That day, the small Valencian town where he had grown up surrounded by dogs and soccer balls ceased to be the only world he knew. Decades later, Ferran has just scored the goal that gave Spain the second World Cup title in its history—the goal that took down Argentina and turned a 26-year-old into the star of the tournament’s most important match. His sister and the invisible pillar
Behind that breakthrough moment lies a story Ferran has shared with a mix of pride and the scars of experience. Moving into the Valencia CF youth residence was a turning point the player couldn’t handle on his own. “It was a shock; I didn’t know how to cope with it, and I was ashamed to talk about it. My sister has been my pillar—the person who has always been there to guide and support me,” he stated on the *The Wild Project* podcast. Yet, before that confession comes another image that sums it all up: the days his parents would drop him off at the residence, leaving him behind in tears.
“When my parents left, I would just cry and cry. It was tough, but it made me grow up,” he affirmed on the same show. That hardship—acknowledged without sugarcoating—is what shaped the footballer who now celebrates victories with the Spanish national team.
Foios, the wide street, and the dogs acting as defenders
Long before youth residences and organized training sessions, Ferran learned the game at home and on the street. Foios gave him a childhood with plenty of space and room for imagination. “I grew up there; all my friends are there, and honestly, it’s a very welcoming place. My street is quite wide, so I could go out and play,” he recalled in ‘Panenka’ magazine.
At home, the goal was his, and the defenders had four legs. “I lived in a house with a ground floor where I had my goal and my dogs—who acted as defenders—so I could play and have a great time,” he explained to the same publication. During that childhood, free from rigid training schedules, a soccer ball was the most coveted gift of all; Torres remembers this with a precision that reveals just how much it meant to him: “It was always shin guards or boots; I didn’t want anything else. In fact, my mother gave me my first pair of boots—from Base Sport in Torrente. I’ll always remember that,” he recounted.
