Ferran Torres scored the extra-time winner and walked off with Man of the Match. Spain has a new heartthrob, and he has a World Cup trophy to go with it.
Ferran Torres (#7) relaxes in the Dallas sun alongside Marc Pubill and Marcos Llorente during Spain’s pre-match training at the Cotton Bowl on July 5, 2026, ahead of their World Cup round-of-16 clash with Portugal. Photo by Thomas Coex / AFP via Getty Images.
Ferran Torres scored the extra-time winner in Sunday’s World Cup final and was named Man of the Match, capping the biggest night in international football.
Shakira handed him the trophy on the pitch, in a custom Roberto Cavalli look reportedly set with 200,000 Swarovski crystals. She co-headlined the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show, staged to support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative she sits on the board of, which made her the natural pick for the ceremonial handoff.
At Carson Sports Park on July 9, 2026, Spain’s Ferran Torres (#7) trains ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinal. Photo by Florencia Tan Jun / Getty Images.
The photo is also pulling up a very specific memory. Shakira performed at the 2010 World Cup, the tournament Spain won for the first time, and met Gerard Piqué on the set of the “Waka Waka” video that summer. They went on to a decade-plus relationship and two children before splitting in 2022.
At Camp Nou on May 30, 2015, the Copa del Rey trophy takes center stage as Gerard Piqué and Shakira pose with the cup after Barcelona’s final victory over Athletic Club. Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images.
Sixteen years later, she’s back at a World Cup final Spain just won, posing with the Man of the Match. The online commentary has gone straight to the Piqué comparisons.
Shakira lights up the halftime show at the 2026 World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina, performing at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. Photo by Patricia de Melo Moreira / AFP via Getty Images.
The 26-year-old forward was already climbing the “hottest player at this World Cup” conversation before the final whistle. A fan-voted Ranker list of the most attractive Spanish players at the tournament currently has him at No. 1, ahead of Gavi and Álex Grimaldo.
Ferran Torres fires home for Spain against Argentina in the 2026 World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, on July 19, 2026. Photo by Jewel Samad / AFP via Getty Images.
Post-final coverage is calling him the internet’s new Spanish heartthrob, pointing to the longer hair, the Flynn Rider comparisons, and the flood of edits that started circulating within hours of the trophy lift.
Ferran Torres celebrates with Marcus Rashford after putting Barcelona ahead against Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou on May 10, 2026. Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images.
The physical specs back the visual. Barcelona lists him at 6’0″ and 176 lbs, with other outlets clocking him closer to 170. He’s lean and long-limbed, a winger who now plays more often as a centre-forward, with the conditioning to hold his own in duels without a bulky frame.
Tall, sharp-featured, 26, and now the guy who scored the goal that won Spain a World Cup. “Hottest” is subjective, but its objective the man is on fire.
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