- The Washington Times - Sunday, July 19, 2026

Borja Iglesias, a forward on Spain’s World Cup team, said that he is reluctant to shake President Trump’s hand should his team win the soccer championship on Sunday.

Iglesias’ remarks come ahead of his team’s World Cup final match against Argentina on Sunday afternoon. The president is expected to travel to the event, present the trophy and shake hands with the winning team.

In an interview with All Out Soccer published Sunday, Iglesias made it clear that he is no fan of the president.



“I don’t want to go to prison,” he said of shaking Mr. Trump’s hand. “I hope to greet him at a time when we are all very happy and that it passes very quickly and I can forget about it.”

“I don’t think this is the time to create controversy. People know perfectly well what I think. I would love to do many things, but the reality is that even if people think I am all-powerful, I don’t have that much power to tackle certain things,” he said.

Iglesias has previously expressed support for pro-Palestinian protesters and has accused Israel of carrying out “genocide” against Gaza. He said in the interview Sunday that Mr. Trump struggles with people who fight “for progress and fundamental values.” 

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