Cristian Romero Walks Past Donald Trump Without a Handshake After World Cup Final
· Yahoo Sports
Argentina defender Cristian Romero walked past President Donald Trump without shaking his hand during the World Cup runners-up medal ceremony, creating a viral moment after his team’s 1-0 loss to Spain.
The footage shows FIFA President Gianni Infantino placing a silver medal around Romero’s neck before the player shakes his hand and continues along the presentation line.
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Romero passes Trump without looking toward him or offering his hand.
Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute to give Spain its second men’s World Cup championship and end Argentina’s attempt to defend the title it won in 2022.
What the Full Medal-Line Footage Shows
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Trump stood beside Infantino during the presentation, with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney positioned farther along the line. After receiving his medal, Romero shook Infantino’s hand and moved directly past Trump.
Romero also initially passed Sheinbaum before greeting Carney, then turned back and shook the Mexican president’s hand. The clip, shared by several outlets including The Independent, contains no visible argument or verbal exchange between Romero and Trump. Romero had not publicly explained the interaction when the reports were published.
Reports Questioned Whether Romero Intended a Snub
Headlines and social posts characterized Romero’s action as a rejection of Trump, while USA Today raised the question of whether the omission had been intentional rather than presenting his reasoning as known.
Other Argentina players did greet the president. Lionel Messi shook hands with both Trump and Infantino after receiving his medal, then walked toward Argentina’s supporters with tears visible on his face, according to the Associated Press.
Trump’s Trophy-Ceremony Role Was Already Drawing Attention
Trump had been booed when he appeared on the stadium’s video screens and again when he entered the field with Infantino for the awards presentation.
After helping present the World Cup trophy to Spain captain Rodri, Trump remained beside the players as they began celebrating. Infantino moved away from the group, while Trump stayed near the team during the initial trophy lift and photographs.
FIFA later shared a celebration image in which only the edge of Trump’s suit was visible, while photographs posted by Spain also appeared to exclude him from the central trophy-lift shot.