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Cristiano Ronaldo found himself the subject of mockery during Spain’s official celebration after their 2026 World Cup triumph, despite his legendary years with Real Madrid.

Spain were crowned world champions for the second time in their history on Sunday, defeating Argentina in a tense final that went all the way to extra time. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal deep in the 120th minute to seal La Roja’s 1-0 victory.

This marks Spain’s second world title, following their historic first win at the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa. The team returned to Madrid on Monday, where they paraded through the streets on an open-top bus, celebrating with thousands of jubilant supporters before the grand ceremony later that evening.

During the main celebration, the players were introduced individually, many with light-hearted moments. One such moment came when the crowd and the event’s host made a playful jab at Cristiano Ronaldo, who had endured an early exit from the 2026 World Cup with Portugal.

The teasing came during the introduction of right winger Yeremy Pino, who had been nicknamed “Cristiano Ronaldo” in his hometown neighbourhood. The host highlighted the irony of that nickname, noting the key difference between the two players now: while Ronaldo, nearing the end of his illustrious career, has never lifted the World Cup, the 23-year-old Pino already has that honour.

The host humorously introduced the young winger by saying, “They used to call him Cristiano Ronaldo, but he has actually won a World Cup. He’s a midfielder of our national team, a Conference League champion, the golden canary, our own world champion, number 11, Yeremy Pino.”

At the 2026 World Cup, the Crystal Palace winger played a limited role for Spain, featuring for a total of just 69 minutes. He played 45 minutes against Saudi Arabia and another 24 minutes against Uruguay during the group stage. For the remainder of the tournament, all the way through to the final, Pino remained on the substitutes’ bench and did not register a goal or an assist.

In contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo’s campaign turned out to be a frustrating one. The Portuguese forward, often referred to as the “Madeira Rocket,” managed three goals at what is likely to be his final World Cup — scoring twice against Uzbekistan and once against Croatia in the group stage and round of 32 respectively. However, his World Cup dreams ended in the round of 16, when Portugal were eliminated by Spain with a 1-0 defeat.