Donald Trump hands Spain's Rodri the World Cup trophy and stays for celebrations
The United States president was on stage to give the Spain captain the trophy
Dubai: Donald Trump presented Spain captain Rodri with the FIFA World Cup trophy after the European champions defeated reigning champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 World Cup final at New York New Jersey Stadium.
The US President was in attendance for the showpiece event and joined FIFA president Gianni Infantino on the podium following the final whistle as Spain celebrated winning their second World Cup title.
After the players collected their medals, Trump and Infantino handed the famous trophy to Rodri, who captained his country to a famous victory over Lionel Messi and Argentina.
But it was what happened next that caught the attention of supporters around the world.
As the Spain players prepared for the traditional trophy lift, Infantino appeared to gesture for Trump to step aside and allow the squad to enjoy the moment alone. However, the US President remained on the podium, smiling alongside the players as Rodri lifted the World Cup into the air.
Television cameras captured Trump standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Spain's jubilant stars as golden confetti rained down around them, creating one of the more unusual images from the celebrations.
It was a scene that closely resembled last summer's FIFA Club World Cup final, when Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain to lift the trophy.
On that occasion, Trump also joined the medal presentation alongside Infantino before remaining on stage for Chelsea's trophy lift, despite appearing to be encouraged to step away for the traditional team celebration.
History repeated itself in New Jersey as Spain celebrated World Cup glory, with Rodri lifting football's biggest prize while Trump remained in the middle of the jubilant scenes, ensuring he was once again part of one of the sport's most iconic photographs.
