An Arsenal star seemingly mocked Donald Trump by performing his infamous dance during the World Cup trophy lift as Spanish players tried to move him on
An Arsenal star seemingly mocked Donald Trump by performing his infamous dance during the World Cup trophy lift.
Mikel Merino had been Spain’s clutch man stateside – popping up with late goals along the way as they earned their second star on Sunday evening. And before Rodri lifted the trophy, Trump had walked across the front of the players – where he caught the eye of Merino.
The 30-year-old, brought on by boss Luis de la Fuente as a substitute in the 76th minute, seemed to relish the moment and copied Trump’s infamous fist-pumping dance routine. Shortly afterwards, Merino spun around and threw his arms skywards to symbolically “lift” the trophy alongside Rodri.
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One supporter responded to his Trump impression on X: “Please don’t Merino. I like you.” Another posted: “Merino hitting the Trump dance it’s never been more over for me.”
However, others believed that Merino was actually mocking Trump. One wrote: “It kills me that Merino mocked Trump right to his face that man couldn’t represent me any more.”
Another said: “Merino mocked Trump with his dance right in his face.” A third posted: “Mikel Merino doing the Trump dance right next to him is historic. Brutal hahahahahahaha.”
Merino has found the back of the net 12 times in 51 caps for the Spanish national team. The Osasuna academy product had stints with Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle before cementing himself as a regular in the starting XI at Real Sociedad.
He moved to Arsenal in 2024 and has featured in various positions for Mikel Arteta. On Sunday, Merino deflected a Lionel Messi effort with his face to help secure Spain’s narrow 1-0 victory.
But one Spanish player will have been especially unimpressed by Trump’s behaviour. Borja Iglesias, an unused striker at the World Cup, told reporters this week that he planned to shake Trump’s hand following the match because he doesn’t “want to go to prison.”
Iglesias is extremely outspoken when it comes to his political beliefs. The pro-Palestine forward has fought against racism and homophobia in Spain and was a fierce critic of Spanish women’s boss Luis Rubiales over his behaviour following the 2023 World Cup final.
“People already know my opinions, and I would love to do many things, but the reality is that, although people think I’m all-powerful, I don’t have that much power to confront certain things. It’s complicated, really,” he stated before the final.
“It’s something I’ve thought about, something I’ve even imagined. I hope to greet him when we’re all very happy and that it’s all over very quickly so I can forget about it,” he added.