It’s tomato time.
After returning to Los Palacios y Villafranca on Tuesday following their World Cup victory, Spain’s Fabián Ruiz and Gavi were gifted their weight in tomatoes as part of a tradition for when the country wins a major tournament.
Continuing the tradition from when Spain won the World Cup for the first time in 2010, the two players were weighed and then presented with the tomatoes that corresponded to their weight.
Gavi weighed in at 68 kilograms (150 pounds), while Ruiz weighed in at 84 kilograms (185 pounds).
In addition to the tomatoes, both players were given banners adorned with Tomatito, the mascot of the World Cup hosted by Spain in 1982.
Located in Andalusia in the south of Spain, Los Palacios y Villafranca is also known for producing top soccer players.
Jesús Navas, who won the 2010 World Cup with Spain, is from the city and helped start the tomato tradition 16 years ago.
While the tradition was most recently done for the World Cup, the city also rewarded Navas for Spain’s Euros victory in 2012 and Ruiz’s win in the same tournament in 2024.
The 30-year-old Ruiz played 366 minutes for Spain during its 2026 World Cup run. He scored one goal in the tournament against Belgium in a quarterfinal win.
Gavi played 85 minutes and didn’t score across two matches.
Along with the tomato gift, the city plans to build a monument honoring Gavi, Ruiz and Navas.
After beating Argentina 1-0 in a World Cup final thriller Sunday, Spain returned to Madrid for a city-wide parade Monday.
Ruiz and Gavi were also honored at local soccer fields, as they were renamed “Fabían Ruiz Football Field” and “Pablo Martín Páez Gavira Football Field.”
