Barcelona striker, who may change clubs next season, told CNN his presence on Spain's victory parade at Cibeles in a cap echoing Trump's slogan was no big deal.
'Make America Great Again' (MAGA). The slogan, copied and reworked ad nauseam, even by groups hardly suspected of sharing Trumpist ideas, does not seem to have taken its toll on the Valencian Ferran Torres, who showed off a similar cap during the celebrations for La Roja's World Cup victories.
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"It was just to have fun with my friends and family and it had nothing to do with politics," Torres said in English during an interview with 'CNN' after being asked about the initials on the cap, reworked as 'Make Spain Great Again'. "Honestly, I don't know anything about politics. It was only about being able to see Spain back on top again, winning the Cup."
The Trump administration, however, interpreted the forward's gesture as tacit support for the MAGA ideology, the populist wing of the Republicans rallying around the president. "Everyone wants to join this movement," the White House's official account even posted, a profile that since Trump's arrival has been used as a media loudspeaker for his circle.
Torres is reportedly in talks to leave Barça ahead of next season, amid rumours he could sign for Paris Saint-Germain, coached by Luis Enrique. CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins asked him directly about his future and PSG. "Right now the only thing I know is that I have to go back there on 12 August and train with them," the player said with a smile. "We'll see what happens (...) in football everything can change in an instant, I'm ready for anything."
The 26-year-old, born in 2000, scored the goal that secured the 2026 World Cup title against Argentina, in the 106th minute of the final played at the New York/New Jersey stadium. A day later, as reports were circulating that Torres owned a property company which had allegedly bought '20 homes in Valencia' to speculate with, he paraded the controversial cap during the victory parade held in Madrid. The player's entourage insisted that the story about the vulture fund was false.
'CNN' has not been the only studio Ferran Torres has appeared on during his stay in the United States, with further interviews scheduled on 'ESPN' and on NBC's Today show.
