(CNN) — More than 1,200 players represented their countries at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and among those, perhaps none will remember the tournament more fondly than Spain forward Ferran Torres.
Every kid who falls in love with the Beautiful Game dreams of scoring the winning goal in a World Cup final when kicking a ball around in their backyards, and last month at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Torres realized that dream.
His clinical strike in the 106th minute against Argentina secured a historic 1-0 win and saw Spain crowned world champion for just the second time, forever etching his name in his nation’s sporting history.
Even now, the 26-year-old is still trying to process the events of July 19: “Honestly, I can’t believe it,” he said on CNN’s The Source.
“When I finished the game, I just (headed) to the dressing room because I didn’t remember how I scored and I needed to see to see it again.
“It was a dream come true to score this goal and winning the World Cup – it was the best moment in my life.”
It’s not how you start
It’s easy to forget that Torres’ tournament got off to a stuttered start.
Hamstring injuries to Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams – both key figures during Spain’s 2024 European Championship-winning campaign – handed Torres a golden opportunity to make his mark in the starting 11 against Cape Verde in La Roja’s opening match.
But Luis de la Fuente’s side was held to a shock 0-0 draw as the World Cup debutant frustrated the European champion, largely thanks to a heroic performance from 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha.
Torres also endured a frustrating afternoon of his own and wasted a golden opportunity to put Spain ahead five minutes before halftime, hitting the crossbar from just five yards out after Marc Cucurella’s header across the box gifted him a chance that seemed difficult to miss.
The 26-year-old subsequently lost his place in the starting 11 when Yamal returned against Saudi Arabia in La Roja’s next match, and for the remainder of the tournament, he had to make his mark from the bench.
But make his mark he certainly did.
In a marquee clash in the Round of 16 against Portugal, it was the Barcelona forward who slipped a ball through to Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino to score in the 91st minute, ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup dreams in the process.
Then came the defining moment of his career in the final, showing remarkable composure to fire in Williams’ headed back pass with his weaker left foot to stun the largely pro-Argentina crowd and send almost 50 million Spaniards around the world into absolute bedlam.
It is a moment no one will ever be able to take away from him, and one that will undoubtedly change his life forever: “I can feel that the people recognize me more often,” he told CNN.
“I feel inside the same person, but it’s kind of not, and I feel it. It made me very proud because every kid when he’s young (dreams) about this moment – it was special.
“It’s (a) different feeling. If you don’t score this goal, you cannot feel it. It just gets crazy and I just ran to celebrate with my teammates. It was an unbelievable moment.”
A home World Cup awaits
If things involving FIFA and UEFA return to normal before then, Spain will defend the World Cup on home soil in 2030 when it co-hosts the tournament alongside Portugal and Morocco, with the first three matches being played in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to mark the 100th anniversary of the inaugural edition in Uruguay in 1930.
And for Torres, that means an opportunity to join an illustrious list of players to win back-to-back World Cups. “I have one, (but) I want another one… I want it,” he said with a smile.
The Barcelona forward will still be only 30 when the next edition begins, meaning he will likely still be a key player for his country.
La Roja’s exciting young core will be entering its prime years, as teenage stars Yamal and Pau Cubarsí – who was named Young Player of the Tournament – will still be in their early 20s and more talent is set to join the national side.
So it certainly doesn’t seem far-fetched that Spain could become just the third nation after Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962, to retain the World Cup.
However, there are still a few years until Torres and his teammates turn their attention to a title defense.
For now, the 26-year-old is enjoying some well-deserved time off in New York, where he will be swapping a soccer ball for a baseball when he throws out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.
“It’s going to be my first (baseball) game, so I’m very excited,” he said.
But despite scoring the biggest and most important goal in global soccer’s showpiece event, throwing the first pitch at Yankee Stadium is still nerve-wracking even for one of the game’s biggest stars.
“(I) feel more nervous than even the World Cup final,” he joked. “Everyone is going to stay there watching me, and I never did a throw, so let’s see what happens.”
The-CNN-Wire
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