When a World Cup trophy is on your bed at night, you know you’re breathing rarefied air.
After La Roja defeated England 1-0 on Sunday, Spain’s Jenni Hermoso performed the exact same gesture, mimicking Lionel Messi’s celebration when Argentina won.
After a fantastic day that saw her experience everything from joy to rage to discomfort, the forward uploaded a picture of herself cuddling up to the coveted cup.
69 minutes into the game, Hermoso had a chance to extend Spain’s lead, but Mary Earps’ superb save kept England in the contest. At that point, the 33-year-old could only pray that the Lionesses wouldn’t take advantage. The following response from Earps, who yelled “f*** off” in defiance of the Spanish offensive onslaught, will likely go down in history as the most memorable part of the match. After she won the golden glove in Australia, Nike is now dealing with calls to sell duplicate Earp’s shirts amid criticism that they weren’t offered prior to the competition. The moment Hermoso raised her middle finger towards England player Chloe Kelly after missing the penalty shot perfectly captured the raw emotion of the match in Sydney. Emotions were running high. In the end, Spain prevailed over England despite their best efforts, and with some luck because a late challenge on Lauren James was waived away when the referee could have easily awarded a free-kick. Hermoso was on the winning team. But the narrative didn’t end there.Hermoso received an uninvited kiss on the mouth as the Spanish athletes ascended the stage to go and lift the trophy.Nobody else but the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s president, Luis Rubiales, who also gave her a smile and a hug, could have said it. Hermoso stated that she “didn’t like it,” but Rubiales has since attacked detractors, calling them “idiots” “We cannot be distracted by idiocy when two people make a small display of affection.” He said to Radio Marca, “We are champions, and with that, I stay.” Footage of him seemingly grabbing his testicles next to Spain’s Queen Letizia and her daughter Maria, 16, sparked additional outrage. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that Spain won their first-ever women’s World Cup with outstanding soccer and that Hermoso played a significant role in that achievement, despite all the turmoil surrounding their higher-ups. Any opportunity to catch some zzz’s is one that should be taken, and doing so when the World Cup is on isn’t too bad.