The number 7 jersey shines again! Dual stars for Spain, love remains from Barcelona!

Written by Han Bing 1-0, thanks to Ferran Torres' goal in the 106th minute of extra time, Spain defeated Argentina to lift the World Cup for the second time in their history. FIFA's official social media account even posted a comparison image of the two decisive goals, captioned: "From Iniesta to Ferran, glory passed on!" Sixteen years ago, Iniesta scored the winner in the 116th minute of extra time, ending the Dutch dream of a first title and making the Spanish side the eighth World Cup champion. Now, another Barcelona player scored a similar "golden goal" in extra time, shattering Argentina's hopes of a fourth star and helping Spain surpass England, tie France and Uruguay, and join the ranks of two-star giants.

Beyond the Barcelona player scoring in extra time to secure the World Cup for Spain, the Torres surname also experienced a "glorious inheritance." In the 2008 European Championship final, Fernando Torres scored the only goal in the 33rd minute, giving Spain their first European title in 44 years and kickstarting a golden era of three consecutive major tournament victories. Moreover, Ferran Torres, like David Villa, who led Spain to the final in 2010, rose to fame at Valencia and also wore the number 7 jersey. Although Villa was unstoppable back then and finished as joint top scorer with five goals, he failed to find the net in the final.

The number 7 jersey then lay dormant for years, finally shining brightest at the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

After the match, an emotionally relieved Ferran reflected: "It's a huge relief. I've been heavily criticized throughout the World Cup. I'm still a bit dazed. When I saw my family just now, I finally felt grounded. I hugged them and took photos with them. When I'm alone, I'll let it all out and have a good cry. Now it's time to enjoy this moment, lift the trophy, and celebrate with everyone... This goal belongs to 47 million people, not just me or these 26 players. It was destiny—written for victory."

In fact, before taking over the number 7 jersey in 2025, Ferran Torres had been deeply mired in controversy.

His performance in 11 European Championship matches—3 goals and 1 assist—was hardly impressive. At Euro 2021, as Spain's starting winger, Ferran managed only 2 goals and 1 assist in 6 games, with one goal and one assist coming in the round of 16 against Croatia to give Spain a 3-1 lead, but the team only barely won in extra time. After that, against Switzerland and Italy, Ferran was ineffective, and in the semifinal he was substituted after just one hour, widely seen as one of the main culprits for Spain's failure to reach the final. In the UEFA Nations League final in October of the same year, Ferran again failed to deliver, and Spain lost to France, missing out on the title.

Euro 2024 marked the start of Spain's new "golden generation," but Ferran continued to disappoint. He started only 2 of 7 matches, getting a start only after the group stage was already sealed and heavy rotation was used. He scored against minnows Albania, but in the quarterfinal he started 57 minutes without any impact. In the semifinal against France he played just one minute, and in the final he sat on the bench the entire match, contributing almost nothing to de la Fuente's first major trophy with this Spanish side.

On the World Cup stage, before this final, his record was a meager 2 goals in 11 matches. Both goals came in his World Cup debut—a 7-0 thrashing of Costa Rica in the 2022 World Cup. His first goal in that game came from a penalty after Alba won a spot kick when Spain was already 2-0 up, and his second was the result of a defensive error by Costa Rica. After that "statistically decent" debut, he went scoreless in ten subsequent World Cup appearances, whether as a starter or substitute.

In the opening match of the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico against Cape Verde, Ferran had four shots without finding the net. He then lost his starting spot for the next seven games, but came off the bench in all of them. In the round of 16 against Portugal, he provided an assist for Merino's last-gasp winner against their Iberian neighbors, gradually regaining his touch.

Substituted on in the 62nd minute of the final, he worked tirelessly for 47 minutes and on his third shot scored the most important goal of his career. Seven years earlier, at the U19 European Championship, Ferran Torres had scored his first national-team final goal, netting a brace to help Spain beat Portugal 2-0 and win the 2019 U19 Euros. Last April, he also scored in the Copa del Rey final to help Barcelona beat Real Madrid for the title—but those achievements pale in comparison to a World Cup-winning goal.

Growing up in Valencia, Ferran joined the Bat's youth academy at age six, supported by his father, having previously only played indoor football. At 16, he entered Valencia's B team, which produced Alba, Isco, and Ferran's childhood idol David Silva. Ferran worked hard, and his talent was evident from the moment he entered the Valencia youth system. But his football journey was full of setbacks: a growth spurt at age 12 during puberty caused him to lose his usual touch and coordination. He overcame this slump by playing against older kids two or three years his senior.

Ferran once looked up to Asensio as a role model, constantly watching his videos to learn his technique and vision. Although he was widely regarded as a future star at Valencia and was the core of the Spanish U17 team that finished as runners-up at the 2017 World Cup, Real Madrid came calling, forcing Valencia to include him in the first-team squad in early 2018. In 2020, due to financial struggles, Ferran was sold to Manchester City, a place with cold, damp weather, food he couldn't adapt to, and far from family and friends.

Until Laporta extended an olive branch, Ferran seized the opportunity to return to Spain without hesitation. Unfortunately, injuries prevented him from proving himself, and rumors of a relationship with coach Luis Enrique's daughter, Sheila, became a target for fans' frustrations. But de la Fuente, who had coached him since the Spanish youth teams, maintained faith in Ferran. Additionally, Flick's tenure at Barcelona changed Ferran's life. Over the past two seasons, he gradually found his form, scoring 21 goals and providing 3 assists last season—especially his goal in the May Clásico, which restored his confidence.

Ferran Torres is not the most dazzling star in the Spanish squad, but de la Fuente still compared him to Yamal, who is valued at €200 million. In the 65-year-old Spanish coach's view, fate always rewards those who keep working hard, and Ferran is one of them. Just like the tattoo on his ankle, his life motto—"Refuse to sink"—the new number 7 of the Spanish side, after enduring countless doubts and taunts, has once again earned flowers and applause.