Spanish player appears to mock Trump with his signature dance at World Cup trophy handover

Spain's men's football team had a memorable night on Sunday, beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy—but the trophy handover was far less smooth than the victory itself. President Donald Trump lingered on the podium long after presenting the trophy, despite being nudged aside by team captain Rodri. Things came to a head when midfielder Mikel Merino appeared to mimic Trump's signature dance step, moments after the 80-year-old performed it in front of the players.

The clip of the incident quickly went viral, with users speculating about the intent behind the move. A large share of reactions online framed it as Merino trolling the President, with some pointing out the irony that many of Trump's MAGA supporters didn't seem to register it as a jab. Another user called the moment "historic."  This is not the first time a team had mocked Trump using his signature YMCA step.

The Belgian national team appeared to mock Trump after eliminating the U.S. Men's National Team 4-1 in the Round of 16—both after scoring the winning goal and later while celebrating in the locker room—by mimicking the president's trademark dance. Many saw the gesture as a direct jab at Trump's intervention in overturning a suspension for USMNT striker Folarin Balogun. That match was already engulfed in controversy after FIFA reversed Balogun's red-card suspension.

Under FIFA rules, a red card triggers an automatic one-match ban; Balogun received his on July 1 during the U.S.'s Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. His suspension was overturned the day before the Belgium match after Trump personally asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the case—a decision that "crossed a red line" according to Europe's top football-governing body.

This was not the only snub Spain subjected Trump to on Sunday—the team's official social media accounts also left him out of their victory photos entirely. The move came after Trump continued to linger onstage following the trophy handover, putting him squarely in frame for the iconic trophy-lifting shot. By the time Spain's official accounts posted their celebration photos, the president was gone—cropped, it appeared, out of the picture entirely.

The embarrassment didn't stop there. Trump was seen shuffling awkwardly across the stage to shake hands with players before taking up a spot at the corner of the podium. As the moment threatened to drag on, Infantino moved quickly to guide the 80-year-old out of frame so Spain's players could celebrate on their own. It came after Trump had already been repeatedly booed during the match by the crowd at MetLife Stadium.