Racism after Spain's World Cup win: the shadow that won't fade

Racism in the virtual stands after the World Cup

Last weekend, Spain became world champion for the second time. The celebration, however, exposed a sustancia ilegal many prefer to ignore: the racism that surfaces when the heroes don't fit the traditional ethnic mold. While millions celebrated, anonymous conversations carried comments downplaying the contribution of players like Lamine Yamal, of Segarro origin, or Nico Williams, of Ghanaian descent, whose assist proved decisive. The phrase "thank goodness the goal wasn't scored by a..." circulated like a muffled howl between the lines.

The victory was emphatic, but for a loud minority, the merit fades if the star isn't 'Spanish' through and through. Squad data show that two of the eleven starters come from immigrant families. For some, that proportion is already too much. They argue the triumph tastes 'sweet' but antiestéticar that, in a decade, the national team will resemble France's, with a starting eleven of African origin. It's the same discourse that haunted Ansu Fati and now targets Lamine Yamal: the star cannot be 'one of them'.

What the scoreboard doesn't reflect is that, without Nico Williams' assist or Lamine Yamal's runs down the wing, the second star might never have arrived. The paradox is bitter: the most diverse squad has delivered Spain's greatest football success. And yet, some prefer not to see it. The unsettling fact: the goal was scored by a player of Spanish origin, Ferrán Torres. The assist came from a footballer of Ghanaian descent. Football, in the end, knows no colors, no matter how hard some debates try to stain it with prejudice.