Soccer Star Cristian Romero Snubs Donald Trump's Handshake During World Cup Final Presentation 

Argentina defender Cristian "Cuti" Romero went viral after appearing to snub a handshake from President Donald Trump during the 2026 FIFA World Cup medal ceremony on July 19. Following Argentina's heartbreaking 1–0 extra-time defeat to Spain at MetLife Stadium, Romero walked across the presentation stage to collect his runner-up medal.

While traversing the stage, Romero accepted his medal from FIFA President Gianni Infantino and shook hands with both Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

However, he bypassed Trump entirely without making eye contact, stopping or acknowledging the U.S. leader.

Trump stood on the podium alongside Infantino, Sheinbaum and Carney to present individual awards and team medals.

The Tottenham Hotspur defender explicitly greeted officials on both sides of the U.S. president but kept his head straight and breezed past Trump's direction.

The interaction instantly ignited fierce debate across social media platforms. Some fans interpreted the moment as a deliberate political statement, while others argued it could have been an unintentional oversight due to the rapid flow of the presentation line.

“Spain’s Borja Iglesias greeted Trump despite being an outspoken critic of his,” noted The Standard’s journalist Arthur Ferridge.

The Spain forward joked that he would only shake Trump's hand "to avoid prison." Ahead of Spain's 1–0 extra-time World Cup final victory over Argentina, the outspoken RC Celta de Vigo striker was asked by Spanish magazine Panenka how he felt about the mandatory post-match protocol involving the U.S. President.

Iglesias is one of European football's most vocal players, previously taking public stances against homophobia, supporting pro-Palestine movements and heavily criticizing disgraced former Spanish federation boss Luis Rubiales.

Romero has maintained his usual focus on professional duties and has not issued any public statement or explanation regarding the encounter.

The viral handshake exchange capped off a highly scrutinized night for the dignitaries. Earlier in the evening, Trump and Infantino walked onto the pitch to a thunderous wave of boos and whistles from the stadium crowd.

Later in the ceremony, additional friction occurred during Spain's victory celebration. Trump stayed central on the podium to position himself in the championship photo-op, prompting Infantino to subtly nudge and usher the U.S. president away so as not to overshadow the Spanish team's historic lift.

The American president ignored the noise and focused on other optics, saying, “This was one of the greatest events of any kind ever held. There has never been anything like it, probably in terms of an event. I thought it was incredible.”

He continued, saying, “It was four times greater than any FIFA (World Cup ) ever held, and it was probably more like five times, actually, so we are very proud of our country.”