Thousands danced in the streets, set off fireworks and launched red flares in Madrid as the party went on into the early hours of Monday after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 to win the World Cup.
Waving red and gold flags, Spaniards and fans from around the world watched as La Roja realised the dream of winning the trophy for the second time following an extra-time goal by Ferran Torres in New Jersey.
After a tense match that went to extra time, fans exploded in joy in cities and towns across Spain as the final whistle blew in New York.
In Barcelona, where many of the Spain team play for the La Liga champions, revellers set fireworks off and partied on the beaches at the start of what promised to be a long night of celebrations.
Spain fans waved flags and cheered in the streets of the neighbourhood where Spain’s teenage forward Lamine Yamal grew up.
The 19-year-old Lamine learned to play football on the streets of Rocafonda, a working-class, multi-ethnic area of Mataro, a coastal city about 30 km (19 miles) north of Barcelona.
ONE OF THEIR OWN
The residents of Rocafonda, who include his grandmother and a cousin, still regard Lamine, who plays for Spain and Barcelona, as one of their own.
On the community pitch, where Lamine honed his skills as a boy, there is a mural featuring the player who is a symbol of the possible.
Lamine, who was born in Spain to a Moroccan father and mother from Equatorial Guinea, has never forgotten his roots.
Throughout his career, he has honoured Rocafonda with his trademark “304” hand gesture after scoring goals – a reference to the neighbourhood’s postal code.
During the World Cup, he has sported a headband with “Rocafonda” on it, worn the flags of his parents’ countries of origin on his boots, and said football was an example of racial and social integration.
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, posted on X: “We are World Champions!! Our national team was great! Thanks team!”
U.S. President Donald Trump and Sanchez, who have had a frosty relationship, exchanged a brief handshake before the match, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported.
Here are some takeaways from the tournament, which was co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico:
- A new, expanded format of 48 teams meant more matches, more goals, and more records broken. But ultimately, it was dominated by the usual suspects, with all four semi-final places won by world soccer governing body FIFA’s top four ranked teams — Argentina, Spain, France and England.
- There were, however, a couple of fairytale runs — Cape Verde won over supporters’ hearts after the debutant band of journeymen professionals and raw youngsters held Spain and Uruguay to draws and forced Argentina into extra time. Norway entertained audiences with their “Viking row” and made it to the quarter-finals for the first time ever.
- Ahead of the tournament, worries over visas, guns and a lack of local interest had made many global fans sceptical of the U.S. role in hosting. But ultimately supporters found a warm welcome from Americans in what became known as the Great American Sleepover. Social media was filled with cross-cultural posts of Americans embracing the traditions of visiting supporters — even morning bagpipes — and Europeans discovering the delights of free soda refills.
- Men’s soccer in co-host Canada has for years struggled to take off at the higher levels but the team’s progress to the last 16 signalled that may be changing, with investment in the sport accelerating and games attracting record crowds.
- By contrast, soccer is well-established in Mexico. Stadiums were (mostly) packed and fans euphoric, especially when Mexico played. But Mexico’s first World Cup knockout win in 40 years led to four deaths in crowd crushes as fans celebrated and there has been little sign of long-term benefit to the economy.
- U.S. fans were frustrated that their team again exited at the round of 16, with the controversial intervention of President Trump in the suspension of a red card from the previous match for their leading striker making little difference in the end. But once all the hype died down, one fact remained: the team performed in line with expectations.
- There was considerable outrage over the high cost of stadium tickets compared to previous tournaments. Enough people were willing to pay, attendance numbers indicated. But increasingly, going to the World Cup is something only possible for affluent fans or the obsessive.
- As well as the working class, supporters from countries facing visa restrictions were shut out of the World Cup. Diasporas and Americans lending their support helped make up the numbers in the stadiums, at least in part.
- FIFA rules ban political displays in stadiums. But when they happened, there was no immediate response from authorities and the show went on.
- The Americanisation of football — specifically, hydration breaks and a halftime show during the final — caused disgruntlement in some quarters. Critics said it broke the natural flow of a match to allow more broadcast advertising. But coaches made the breaks a tactical opportunity and, in a warming world, these innovations may end up being a keeper.
Source: Reuters
