Rodri received the Golden Ball. Lamine Yamal may own the future.
But the moment belonged to an oft-criticized substitute from Spain.
At the tail end of a brilliant World Cup run defined by a defense that allowed just one goal in eight matches (the fewest ever by a champion), Ferran Torres became Spain’s unlikely hero, coming off the bench and swooping in to score his first goal of the tournament to break a scoreless tie in the 106th minute of Sunday’s final against Argentina, giving Spain a 1-0 victory at MetLife Stadium.
Torres, 26, is just the second substitute to score the winning goal in a World Cup final, joining Germany’s Mario Götze, who also scored in extra time in 2014 to defeat Argentina.
“In the end, the goal belongs to 47 million people, not me, nor [the] 26 players here,” Torres told Spanish broadcaster TVE. “Destiny was written today. We were going to win.”
Spain entered as favorites, but made the defending champs look like a bigger underdog every minute, controlling possession, while preventing Argentina from recording a shot on goal the entire match.
Spain took 20 shots (including 12 on target), but the dominance didn’t make a dent on the scoreboard, as Emiliano Martínez made 11 saves — the most by a goalkeeper in a final in at least 60 years.
In the 96th minute, Martínez received help from the officials, who controversially took away a Nico Williams goal.
The champs had just 10 men, but just needed to keep Spain off the board for another 15 minutes or so to send the match to a shootout, where Argentina defeated France in the 2022 final.
“All finals are difficult,” Torres said, “But when you have [Lionel] Messi on the other team, you always get nervous.”
Before the greatest player of all time could produce perhaps the greatest moment of his career, Torres delivered one of the most iconic goals of all time.
Torres, who hasn’t started since the opening match of the tournament, recorded two goals in the 2022 World Cup — when Spain was eliminated in the Round of 16 against Morocco in a shootout — but he entered in the 62nd minute in New Jersey having come up empty on 11 shots in this World Cup.
Then, the Barcelona forward who has faced relentless criticism for his inconsistent finishing ability, put himself in position to instantly alter millions of opinions.
As Williams ran to the byline to keep the ball in play with a header, Torres found open space and pounced on the ball, unleashing a rocket under the crossbar for the final goal of the tournament’s 104th match — and the forever moment of Spain’s second World Cup triumph.
“It’s a huge feeling of liberation,” Torres said. “I’ve been criticized a lot during this World Cup, but destiny was written. I thank God, who always gives me strength to continue. Things come to those who deserve them.”
