From Iniesta to Ferran Torres. From Don Andrés to Senyor Ferran. From Fuentealbilla to Foios. From the right boot to the left boot. From the Jabulani to the Trionda. From Johannesburg to New York. From one Barça player to another blaugrana footballer. The second half of extra time was red again. Although the Manchego genius scored dressed in blue. He was looking for a successor to the person who sewed the first star on the badge and found it in the Valencian forward. A golden thread will unite them forever. So often debated but he always ends up sticking his head out, being the protagonist, making the front pages. The story is his. Ferran II, superstar.
It is unknown if Ferran Torres had time to stop by the picnic area just below the George Washington Bridge in New Jersey, just after crossing from New York. That is where the boy protagonist of the movie Big finds the Zoltar machine to which he makes his wish. Against all odds, the device turned out to work its magic. The next morning, his body grows and he has the appearance of a young man of working age ready to succeed.
From the right boot to the left boot
Like Iniesta 16 years ago, the Valencian shot with his soul and it was immediately clear the shot was going to glory
Ferran also grew big. The city of skyscrapers was favorable for a Torres. He was seen incisive from the moment he entered the field for Oyarzabal. He bit with the bite of a Shark. He had that look attackers get, coming off scoring 21 goals with Barça. Surrounded by five other teammates from the blaugrana team, he felt at home.
His tournament started with the crossbar against Cape Verde and Vozinha on June 15. No one will remember because a month and four days later he gave glory to Spain against Argentina and Dibu Martínez, the best of the Albiceleste. It’s not how you start but how you finish. And the last to laugh was Ferran. Nothing will be the same for him. Iniesta was 26 when he scored in South Africa. Of the entire squad, only two players are that age: Pedro Porro, a defender, and Ferran Torres, who took on the role of the unmasked avenging hero.
Ferran has been like an ascetic throughout the tournament. He isolated himself like a hermit who withdraws from worldly noise. Like a monk who almost takes a vow of silence. He hasn’t given interviews, he didn’t want distractions. Because things were being said about his future and he didn’t want intrusions during the World Cup. He was concentrating, visualizing his big moment, focusing on his time. Few have his mentality, such a strong mind.
Sometimes it seems like he lives in Gotham but he always sees the light. The forward was only a starter in the first match but has played the other seven. He is a trusted type for De la Fuente, because he always delivers. He was saving his first goal for the final. He couldn’t score with a header because Dibu stopped his shot nor with his right foot because he didn’t connect well. On the third attempt he didn’t miss. Nico Williams dropped a ball at the far post and put it back into the heart of the area. No one in the Argentine defense thought of that solution. But there was Ferran who knew he couldn’t control it and loaded his left leg first time. A shot with soul, like in the play 16 years ago, Ferran didn’t shoot alone. Many hopes were placed there. And as soon as the ball flew out it was clear that in that trail there was stardust, the kind that carries magic. A goal worth a career. A goal that changes many lives. Those of the 26 champions, for sure, but many more.
It’s not how you start, but how you finish
His tournament started with the crossbar against Cape Verde and Vozinha on June 15. No one will remember because a month and four days later he gave glory to Spain
Everything went wrong for Messi. First Lisandro got injured, then Romero broke down, almost at the 90th minute Enzo Fernández got sent off in a totally unnecessary action. That made them play the entire extra time with one player less and without Lautaro, who couldn’t come in, and almost without Julián, who had to leave.
In the box, the heroes of 2010 jumped and hugged. Iniesta, Casillas, Puyol, Ramos, Villa, Jesús Navas, or Fernando Llorente couldn’t contain their joy. They now have company in the Olympus of Spanish football.
The last one to touch the ball at MetLife Stadium could only be Ferran. It was a clearance directed to the left for Lamine Yamal to run. It was to clear the danger. It was to leave Argentina without their last life. Then Vincic blew the final whistle. It was official. It was no longer escaping. The title had an owner for the next four years.
He took the microphone and shouted it loud and clear: “Spaniards, we are world champions,” was heard through the ten giant speakers hanging over the pitch. But surely the phrase was heard 5,800 kilometers away in Spain, which was celebrating.
The national team was once again the best on the football planet. After eliminating the last two champions, who were also the last two finalists. Spain now has more World Cups than England, inventors, defeated in the last Euro final, and the same as France and Uruguay. Spain is now among the greats. One of the three hosts of the 2030 World Cup will be the reigning champion, the reigning team. Thanks to Ferran II.
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