There are sporting celebrations and there are sporting celebrations where the winning nation’s official social media account posts the championship photograph without the president of the host country in it, because the president photobombed the celebration, and Spain’s men’s national football team has produced the second kind, becoming the first World Cup champion to win, celebrate, get photobombed by a head of state, and then remove that head of state from the official photographic record, which is either a statement or an oversight and Spain’s communications team has not specified which.
Trump was present for the trophy ceremony at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday night, having flown to New Jersey specifically to attend the final between two teams he had not endorsed, having previously endorsed Argentina, per the internet’s documentation of the Trump curse. He was photographed on the pitch with the Spanish players during the celebration. He was photographed with Rodri during the trophy presentation. The official X account for the Spain men’s national team subsequently posted a celebration photograph in which Trump does not appear, per Raw Story’s confirmed reporting published today, which circulated widely alongside the original photobombed image.
Spain’s communications team has not addressed the edit. The Spanish football federation has not addressed the edit. Trump has not addressed being edited out, which is unusual given that Trump typically addresses things he considers slights to his image with the specific speed of a man who has Truth Social and uses it. His silence may indicate he has not seen the edit, or it may indicate he has decided this is not the week to draw attention to being removed from someone else’s celebration, given that the week also includes two dead service members in Jordan, gas above $4, a plane being described as “shitty,” and an incendiary device at a Manhattan federal building.
The Spanish king and queen attended in matching jerseys. Camilla turned 79. Edward went to Qatar. Argentina’s goalkeeper made 11 saves. Milei sent a victory tweet.
When the championship team removes the host country’s president from the official celebration photo and nobody officially explains why, what exactly is the photograph saying?
Sources
Raw Story: Trump faced global ridicule for photobombing Spain’s championship celebration
