Gavi and Fabián Ruiz toasted with tomato haul after Spain’s World Cup win
Los Palacios y Villafranca weighed its local World Cup winners and handed them matching kilos of tomatoes in a hometown celebration.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Gavi and Fabián Ruiz came home as World Cup champions and left with a very local prize: their own body weight in tomatoes.
ESPN reported that the Spain midfielders were honoured Tuesday in Los Palacios y Villafranca, the Andalusian town where both players are from, after helping Spain win the World Cup for the second time.
The celebration at the town hall included a weigh-in, followed by the tomato handover. Ruiz, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, registered 84 kilograms. Barcelona midfielder Gavi came in at 68 kilograms.
That meant a 152-kilogram tomato tribute for two of the town’s most famous football exports, according to ESPN.
A hometown ritual with roots in 2010
The tomato ceremony is not a random bit of post-tournament chaos. ESPN reported that Los Palacios y Villafranca began the tradition in 2010, when Jesús Navas returned after Spain’s first World Cup triumph.
The town, in southern Spain, is known for growing tomatoes. It has also built a growing football reputation through Navas, Ruiz and Gavi.
Navas, identified by ESPN as a former Sevilla and Manchester City winger, was part of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad in South Africa in 2010. He later added European Championship titles in 2012 and 2024.
According to ESPN, Los Palacios y Villafranca has marked every World Cup and European Championship won by its local stars by giving Navas, Ruiz and now Gavi their weight in tomatoes.
Spain’s party rolls from Madrid to Andalusia
Ruiz and Gavi headed back to their hometown after Spain’s players celebrated in Madrid on Monday with the rest of the national squad, ESPN reported.
The team had returned from North America after Sunday’s World Cup final, where Spain beat Argentina 1-0 to lift the trophy.
For Ruiz, the victory added another international medal to his collection. ESPN noted that he was also part of Spain’s Euro 2024-winning squad.
For Gavi, the World Cup delivered his first senior title with Spain, according to ESPN.
Spain’s latest title moved the country to two World Cup wins overall, in 2010 and 2026. ESPN’s listing of World Cup champions has Brazil out in front with five titles, followed by Germany and Italy with four each, Argentina with three, and Uruguay, France and Spain on two apiece.
England is listed with one World Cup win, from 1966.
For Los Palacios y Villafranca, though, the numbers that mattered Tuesday were 84 and 68. Two champions stepped on the scales, and the town answered in tomatoes.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.