Spain just won the FIFA World Cup following a grueling match against Argentina. And it was all thanks to Ferran Torres scoring in the 106th minute, capping off a dramatic extra-time thriller. Now, he’s being hailed as the hero of Spain‘s triumph—but just four years ago, he found himself in the biggest career rut of his life.

In 2022, the Spanish forward was grappling with a mental health crisis; the then-21-year-old had hit rock bottom after his €55 million ($62.8 million) move from Manchester City to La Liga club Barcelona. Torres was struggling to handle the pressure that came with his talent’s high price tag, just as he was recovering from a preseason leg injury and crushing Europa League loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.

“I found myself in a bottomless pit, and I could not see a way out,” Torres told reporters in 2023. “It had never happened to me before. That was the moment when I decided to work with a psychologist.

“I lost my confidence. Everything was affecting me,” he continued. “Seeing [a psychologist] will become increasingly normalised in football. There are weeks when I don’t go and others when I go three times. We don’t always talk about football, we also talk about my private life.”

Torres credits therapy as “one of the best experiences” and making him stronger as a person. And his story can resonate with many; behind the trophies and multimillion-dollar contracts, many sports stars are fighting battles that most fans never see.

Read more [paywall removed for Redditors]:  https://fortune.com/2026/07/20/spain-ferran-torres-scored-winning-world-cup-goal-four-years-ago-therapy-stuck-in-bottomless-pit/?utm_source=reddit/

Has been a long time since The Netherlands won an award at #Fifaworldcup.
3x Finalist, 1x 3rd Place and 1x Best Player (Cruyff 1974) so far.
#FWC26 #WorldCup

Your welcome! 🤗

The 2006 World Cup was the first World Cup I paid attention to and watched. The montage released at the end of the tournament is a thing of beauty. It might be nostalgia, but it really is so good.

I’m hoping for a new country to join the party.

Fifa to announce record $15bn World Cup revenue, smashing expectations

Gianni Infantino will feel this shores up his position

Fifa will announce record $15bn (£11.2bn) revenues from this summer’s World Cup, significantly exceeding the targets set before the tournament.

Fifa’s member associations were informed of the boost in income by Gianni Infantino on Saturday. Originally the governing body had projected $11bn in earnings. Sources have indicated that hospitality and ti\**ting, especially through the steeply priced secondary market, account for a significant amount of the increase. Fifa takes 15% from the buyer and another 15% from the seller on the secondary market.*

It is likely that football associations will reap the benefits of Fifa’s expanded World Cup pot, although details are yet to be finalised. The financial situation will come as a boost to Infantino, who will feel it further shores up his position after a controversy-ridden month in the US, Canada and Mexico.

It is likely that football associations will reap the benefits of Fifa’s expanded World Cup pot, although details are yet to be finalised. The financial situation will come as a boost to Infantino, who will feel it further shores up his position after a controversy-ridden month in the US, Canada and Mexico.

There was widespread fury after Fifa was perceived to have bowed to pressure from Donald Trump in suspending the red card given to Folarin Balogun, the US striker, against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 32. Fifa has said the decision was taken independently by its disciplinary committee but that has continued to fester among European FAs in particular. Infantino has nevertheless received more than 200 pledges of support from Fifa’s member associations for his re-election in March. The prospect of extra funds from bumper World Cup revenue is likely to dissuade some FAs from making any discontent public.

Such a bonanza may also increase the chances of the US hosting another edition in the near future. The next World Cup available for bids is the 2038 tournament. At a reception on Friday, Trump confirmed his country’s eagerness for a repeat performance. “You should choose the United States of America again,” he said. “This time we will leave Canada and Mexico out.” The US has also held talks with Fifa about hosting the Club World Cup in 2029.

Source:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/18/fifa-record-15bn-world-cup-revenue

I live in Canada. I watched the final at a viewing party crowd of about 20,000 people, split 50 / 50 between Argentina and Spain fans. Everyone was peaceful and respectful.

Two weeks ago, I was in Mexico City. I saw a bunch of games at the FIFA zone watch parties. Once again, everything was respectful and the vibes were great.

My buddy from England went down there too. He said Mexicans were great hosts and treated him with respect even after England beat them.

Unfortunately, reddit and other social media makes it really easy for short clips of bad actions to spread like wildfire. This makes us think the worst actors represent the whole country. And it makes us think that crowds of people from certain countries will be dangerous or hateful.

This is a reminder that while bad people exist, it's amplified like crazy on the internet. Most people are nice and friendly and shared a beautiful and peaceful World Cup.

Let's focus on that, not these silly clips that try to kill the vibe!

Seeing as how Spain now are the reigning world champions after having beat Argentina 🇦🇷 in 2026 in USA 🇺🇸 Mexico 🇲🇽 and Canada 🇨🇦...the question is now can they do it again? Can they repeat as back to back FIFA World Cup champions in 2030? In 2030 Spain are set to be one of the 3 hosts along with their Iberian neighbors Portugal 🇵🇹 and then Morocco too on top of it as tri hosts. Not to mention most of their core group of players will either be entering their primes or will be in their primes come that time.

Last time we ever had a 1st time winner was Spain 🇪🇸 when they won it for the first time in 2010 in South Africa and before that was France 🇫🇷 in 1998 when they won it for the first time on home soil. So do you guys think we are capable of having a country win it for the first time rather than seeing your usual winners?

Teams yet to win a World Cup who could in 2030

- Portugal 🇵🇹 seeing as how they are on home soil as one of the tri hosts; last time they hosted a competition on home soil was EURO 2004 where they lost in the Final to Greece 🇬🇷 but can they rectify that by winning in 2030 and adding their first star on to their jersey? It is possible given their core group of guys and if Ronaldo is not there; then they definitely can

- Morocco 🇲🇦 another one of the tri hosts on home soil hosting in their country; would make history as the first African nation to win the World Cup and given their core group they can compete

- Netherlands 🇳🇱 probably the greatest country to never win a World Cup...but have been to 3 Finals in 1974, 1978 and 2010 without winning the big one but seeing their core group and younger talent about to break through can they do it?

- Sweden 🇸🇪 being another dark horse if they qualify can or Norway 🇳🇴 given that they too were also close

- USA 🇺🇸 are another dark horse for 2030 that has never won it but can they?

- Japan🇯🇵 they keep knocking on the door but can't seem to get out of their own way

- Belgium 🇧🇪 being another who can potentially win it if they phase out the old guard

Fifa gave these South American countries one game each for the 2030 WC so Saudi Arabia would be a shoo-in for 2034. But if these countries had refused and bid for 2034, wouldn't they have been able to get it?

Of course the Saudi's will throw around money, but it can't be quite as brazen after what Qatar did and the ensuing oversight. And Argentina, being a football powerhouse, would actually have a lot of pull as well? So why settle for just one game?

I like that people are talking about Cape Verde, they deserve the praising and attention. I was left wanting to see more of their matches. Hope we'll see them more in the next World cup.

Unai says Cape Verde's and Spain's defenses are very similar.

I wanted to share some phrases that are worth reflecting on, especially after watching how some champions handle defeat. True greatness isn't just about lifting trophies, it's about how you carry yourself when you don't, and the lessons that come with it

"Defeat has a dignity that victory does not know." (Attributed to Jorge Luis Borges, the great Argentinian writer and sage, it highlights the nobility and learning that can come from losing)

"It's not about how many times you fall, but how many times you get back up." (Vince Lombardi)

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: what counts is the courage to continue." (Winston Churchill)

"I never lose. I either win or learn." (Nelson Mandela)

"You can truly know a person by the way they celebrate their victories and face their defeats." (A common reflection in essays and articles: greatness is seen in how one wins and how one loses)

"The great ones… are those who make their defeat worthy of us standing up and applauding them." (A recent idea in sports columns: we admire a dignified defeat more than an easy victory)

"We are not always going to win… knowing how to lose is just as important as knowing how to win." (A commonly used phrase in education and sports psychology)

In sports, as in life, the deepest values aren't always measured in medals or trophies. Beyond the final result, what truly matters is having the courage to step out and play, to give your best, and to learn from every attempt. In a FIFA world cup tournament, just qualifying is already an achievement for most. And reaching a semifinal is already a feat...

I know finishing second in sports creates "silver medal syndrome," where athletes experience deeper regret than third-place finishers, but we should not forget the whole story behind it.

How would you rank these seven squads?. Who's the best and who's the "worst" and why?

2002 Brazil

2006 Italy

2010 Spain

2014 Germany

2018 France

2022 Argentina

2026 Spain