Spain striker Borja Iglesias has revealed he will reluctantly shake U.S. President Donald Trump's hand to 'avoid going to prison'. The European champions face holders Argentina in Sunday's World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, their first competitive meeting in 60 years.
Iglesias on Meeting Trump
Trump is set to attend the match and hand the trophy to the winners. Speaking to a local magazine, Iglesias said: 'I don't want to go to prison. I hope to greet him at a time when we are all very happy, and that it passes very quickly and I can forget about it. I don't think this is the time to create controversy.'
He added: 'People know perfectly well what I think. I would love to do many things, but the reality is that even if people think I am all-powerful, I don't have that much power to tackle certain things.'
Iglesias' Activism and World Cup Role
The 33-year-old has played just one minute for Spain at the tournament but has been in the headlines for his activism. He refused to play for his country while Luis Rubiales was president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation after Rubiales forcibly kissed Jenni Hermoso following Spain women's 2023 World Cup triumph. Rubiales resigned and was later convicted of sexual assault.
Iglesias has also spoken out against homophobia and in support of Black Lives Matter, painting his nails black. The Celta Vigo striker scored 14 La Liga goals in the 2025/26 season but is expected to play a supporting role to Mikel Oyarzabal in the final.
World Cup Semifinal Results
Iglesias scored his fifth goal of the tournament in Spain's 2-0 semi-final win over France, with Pedro Porro also on target. In the other semi-final, Argentina came from behind to beat England 2-1 after Anthony Gordon's opener. The two losing semi-finalists played a 10-goal thriller on Saturday, with England winning 6-4. Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick, while Kylian Mbappe's brace took him above Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race and all-time scoring charts.
