The was the longest global showpiece ever, spanning 104 matches. For Ferran Torres, it felt even longer. He had to wait until the 106th minute of the final match for his moment to arrive, but he delivered, scoring the goal that helped crown Spain as World Cup winners for the second time in their history.
Torres started Spain's opening match against Cabo Verde, a disappointing 0-0 draw. He lost his starting spot for the following game against Saudi Arabia, a 4-0 victory which kickstarted La Roja's World Cup campaign. Spain won comfortably, but the image that remained was of a frustrated Torres, who scored a goal in stoppage time that was called back for offside. The television cameras zoomed in on the substitute and the words on his lips were clearly legible: ‘Let it be a goal, let it be a goal’.
It’s not unusual for a striker to lament when a goal is disallowed, but the score was already 4–0 and that gesture spoke volumes. Things weren’t going well for Torres; he wasn’t quite on top form. The goalless draw against Cabo Verde had taken its toll, as he lost his place in the starting line-up for good. When he came on against Saudi Arabia, he failed to find his rhythm; the football was flowing for his teammates, but not for him. The Barcelona forward has a keen eye for goal, but can be frustrated by poor runs of form and missing clear chances.
We now know that his tournament journey was well worth it. His extra-time final winner will forever remain etched in the memory of Spanish fans, and it was not his only contribution to this tournament. Torres was instrumental in the last-gasp victory against Portugal. Spain were heading for extra time when the ball fell to him and he found Mikel Merino, whose clinical finish put his team’s fears to rest and sent Spain through to the quarter-finals.
"The goal is the least of it – all I want right now is to grab that [World] Cup and squeeze it as hard as I can," said Torres to the cameras just after the match had finished. "It’s the dream of the 47 million of us who were on the pitch today. We deserved it and we gave it our all." In that interview, Torres didn’t let his difficult days pass him by; in the midst of the celebrations, he reflected on his less-than-ideal start to the tournament: “In the end, it was a huge relief. I think I’ve faced a lot of criticism throughout the World Cup but I believe, as I’ve already said, that destiny is written. Thank God, He’s always given me the strength to carry on and, in the end, as I say, God gives things to those who deserve them most.”
In his case, Torres is now part of an exclusive group of two Spaniards, alongside Andres Iniesta, who have scored World Cup-winning goals. He reflected further afterwards: “At the end of the day, this is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to keep working hard no matter what comes your way and, in the end, things always go to those who deserve them most."
Torres is a very determined player, one of those who just keeps going. He may not be the most technically gifted player and coaches have often seen him more as a game-changer than a mainstay – but what he showed in the final sums up what he offers as a player: movement, shrewdness and goals. He is the sort of player who finds the net because he never stops looking for it. And in this tense, drawn-out final, his reward came in the end. He added: “All finals are difficult; when [Lionel] Messi is in the opposing team, nerves always creep in. Ultimately, we’ve always stayed true to our philosophy, to our own style of football, and I think we’ve demonstrated that once again today.”
Sources: FIFA Official
