Spain’s World Cup-winning midfielders Gavi and Fabian Ruiz have been given a highly unusual reward on their return home – a gift of tomatoes matching their body weight – as their hometown celebrated their role in the country’s 2026 triumph.
The pair, key figures in Spain’s second World Cup win after a 1-0 victory over Argentina in New York last Sunday, were greeted by huge crowds in Los Palacios y Villafranca, the Andalusian town where both were born.
Local authorities marked the occasion with a blend of tradition and footballing glory that immediately caught national attention.
Tomato tribute for champions
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, the town council presented each player with a quantity of tomatoes equal to his body weight, in line with a well-known local custom.
Gavi received 68.5kg of tomatoes, while Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Fabian Ruiz was handed 84.5kg.
The tomato tribute is a long-standing regional tradition, but its deployment to honour two freshly crowned world champions has given it new prominence and turned the ceremony into one of the most distinctive celebrations of Spain’s World Cup success.
Stadiums renamed and monument planned
The recognition did not stop at the tomato ceremony.
The municipality of Los Palacios y Villafranca announced that two football pitches in the town will now bear the names of Gavi and Fabian Ruiz, ensuring their achievements are permanently linked to the grassroots game where they first developed their talent.
In addition, work is set to begin on a commemorative monument dedicated to the pair. The project will be created with the involvement of veteran Spain international Jesus Navas, who attended the celebrations in person.
The presence of Navas, himself a World Cup winner with Spain in 2010 and another celebrated son of Andalusia, added further symbolism to the event, linking the country’s past and present generations of champions.
Gavi calls against punishment for Argentina players
The festivities came in the wake of controversy at the World Cup final, where Gavi was involved in a post-match incident with several Argentina players following the final whistle.
World governing body Fifa has opened an investigation into the confrontation, but the 19-year-old Barcelona midfielder used his homecoming to urge leniency.
Gavi said during the ceremony that he did not believe there was any need to punish the Argentina players who were involved in the altercation after the final.
His position stands in contrast to calls from some commentators for strong disciplinary action, and his comments have been widely reported in Spain as an appeal for calm following a heated end to a tightly contested final.
Second star for Spain
Spain’s triumph in New York delivered the country’s second World Cup title, 16 years after their first in South Africa in 2010.
The 1-0 win over Argentina has elevated a new generation of Spanish players, with Gavi and Fabian Ruiz at the forefront, to national-hero status.
For Los Palacios y Villafranca, the celebrations – and the decision to immortalise the duo through stadium names, a monument and a distinctly local tomato tradition – underline the pride of a community that has produced two of the central figures in Spain’s latest golden footballing chapter.
