Spain’s star player makes football history with amazing achievement after World Cup victory!
Spain’s star Alex Baena has made history by becoming the first player ever to achieve an amazing treble after his team’s 1-0 World Cup final win over Argentina.
Atletico Madrid’s midfielder Baena, 25, started on the left side of midfield at the MetLife Stadium. He was subbed off in the 75th minute for Nico Williams as Spain pushed to score before extra time. Although that didn’t happen, another sub, Ferran Torres, scored the only goal in the 106th minute for Luis de la Fuente’s team.
This win means the whole Spain squad are World Cup champions for the first time. But for Baena, it’s extra special. He’s the first player to win the European Championship, Olympic gold, and the World Cup one after the other. Spain are the current European champions after beating England 2-1 in the 2024 final. They also won men’s Olympic gold that year, beating France 5-3 in extra time. Baena scored the second goal in the Olympic final and was on the bench during Euro 2024, having just recently joined the senior national team.
Some Uruguay players came close to this treble back in 1930. They won Olympic gold in 1928 and the first World Cup in 1930, but Italy took the 1934 World Cup, so Uruguay couldn’t complete the streak.
The US women’s team also won the World Cup in 2019 and the CONCACAF Women’s Championship in 2022. However, they lost in the 2021 Olympic semifinals, and by the time they won Olympic gold in 2024, Spain was the reigning Women’s World Cup winner.
Only the USWNT can match Baena’s record soon – at the latest by next summer. They’ll play in the 2026 CONCACAF W Tournament from November to December, which they are favorites to win. The Women’s World Cup follows in 2027. Many players from the 2024 Olympic team, like stars Trinity Rodman, Sophia Wilson, and Mallory Swanson, could reach the same treble if the USWNT wins both tournaments.
On the coaching side, Emma Hayes could be the first coach to achieve the treble since Spain’s Luis de la Fuente, who wasn’t managing the Olympic team. De la Fuente took over Spain before Euro 2024 and led them through a fantastic time, but the Olympic team in 2024 was led by U21 coach Santi Denia, as allowed by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).