Fabian Ruiz and Gavi just got an unbelievable reward for winning the World Cup with Spain: their hometown gave them 150 kilograms of tomatoes. Seriously, you read that right. Can you even picture that? The two Spain midfielders, fresh off triumphing in North America, returned home to Los Palacios y Villafranca, a town south of Seville with less than 40,000 people, for an official reception on Wednesday. It’s such a wild, specific way to celebrate, but you’ve gotta respect a tradition this unique!
A Hero’s Welcome, With All the Produce
When Ruiz and Gavi showed up, gold medals around their necks, they were greeted by local officials and a massive crowd. You can just feel the electric energy, right? Imagine being a kid in that town, watching your local heroes come home after winning the biggest trophy in football! And then came the scales! As part of the special occasion to honor their incredible achievement, both players actually stepped onto weighing scales right there at the town hall to determine precisely how many tomatoes they’d be gifted. Paris St-Germain’s Ruiz, who was even a starter in the final against Argentina, is set to receive a whopping 85kg of the red stuff, and Barcelona’s Gavi isn’t far behind with a solid 68.5kg. This isn’t just some random quirky gift, either; local officials are clear that this tomato tradition “has become a hallmark of the municipality for honouring its great athletes.” Talk about a deeply rooted expression of hometown pride!
Building Legacies Beyond the Field
This isn’t the first time Los Palacios y Villafranca has rolled out the red carpet (or, you know, the red tomatoes) for a champion from their ranks. Former Spain winger Jesus Navas was also right there, joining in the celebration. Navas holds the incredible distinction of being the very first player from the town to win the World Cup, way back in 2010! He was a key figure then, a former Manchester City forward, and it’s awesome to see him back celebrating with the new generation. Get this: Navas and Ruiz actually received the same tomato treatment after Spain won Euro 2024 too, showing this tradition is definitely a thing. The town’s sports pavilion is already named after Navas, which is a seriously cool tribute to his impact. But it gets even better for Ruiz and Gavi: they’re going to have football fields renamed after them as a permanent recognition of their achievements. And to cement their legendary status even further, the town hall is actively promoting the construction of a monument dedicated to all three champions from Los Palacios. A town council statement summed it up perfectly: “In this way, the city council wants to pay permanent tribute to three athletes who represent the pride of an entire town and who, with their sporting and human trajectory, have become role models for several generations of children and young people.” That’s not just a one-day celebration; that’s building a lasting legacy for the entire community! It really shows what these guys mean to their town.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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