Follow Us on Google
Spain midfielders Fabián Ruiz and Gavi have been honoured by their hometown of Los Palacios y Villafranca with a unique gift of tomatoes equivalent to their combined body weight after helping Spain win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The two World Cup winners returned to the town, located south of Seville, on Wednesday for a civic reception at the town hall, where they were welcomed by local officials and hundreds of supporters while wearing their winners’ medals.
According to BBC Sport, the ceremony featured one of the municipality’s most cherished traditions, with both players stepping onto weighing scales to determine the quantity of tomatoes they would receive in recognition of their achievements.
Ruiz, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, weighed 85kg and will receive 85 kilograms of tomatoes, while Barcelona midfielder Gavi tipped the scales at 68.5kg, earning an equal quantity of the local produce. Together, the pair will receive 153.5 kilograms of tomatoes.
The tomato presentation has become a longstanding tradition in Los Palacios y Villafranca, a town renowned for tomato farming, where outstanding athletes are rewarded with produce matching their body weight.
Former Spain winger Jesús Navas, another native of the town and the first local footballer to win the FIFA World Cup in 2010, attended the celebration. Navas and Ruiz previously received the same honour after helping Spain lift the UEFA Euro 2024 title.
The town council also announced additional honours for the football stars. Football pitches in the municipality will be renamed after Ruiz and Gavi, while the existing sports pavilion will continue to bear the name of Navas.
Local authorities further revealed plans to erect a monument celebrating the three World Cup champions from Los Palacios y Villafranca, describing them as role models whose achievements have brought pride and international recognition to the community.
The council said the honours were intended to celebrate not only their success on the global stage but also to inspire future generations of young footballers from the town.
