From self-doubt to Spanish football folklore: Ferran Torres' journey to the top

Spain’s late goal story at the World Cup final centers on Ferran Torres, whose strike came after a long, scoreless grind in New Jersey. The match clock read 106 minutes when Torres finished, converting a move involving substitutes Nico Williams and Ferran. Before that moment, the article describes Spain pressing against Argentina’s effort to push the final toward penalties, with 20 attempts before the decisive play. It traces Torres’ climb from 21-year-old expectations at Barcelona after joining from Manchester City in winter 2021 on a contract through 2027. After Barcelona’s Europa League exit to Eintracht Frankfurt, he described falling into a “bottomless pit,” losing confidence, and working with a psychologist. The piece frames the goal as the culmination of a years-long shift in how he approached scoring.