Spain star becomes first player in football history to achieve incredible feat after World Cup win
Spain star Alex Baena has become the first player in history to complete an incredible treble feat following his side's 1-0 World Cup final win over Argentina.
Atletico Madrid midfielder Baena, 25, started on the left side of midfield at the MetLife Stadium.
He was substituted on 75 minutes for Nico Williams as Spain looked to grab a winner before extra time.
While that didn't happen, another substitute in Ferran Torres fired in the only goal of the match for Luis de la Fuente's side on 106 minutes.
Advert
The entire Spain squad are therefore World Cup champions for the first time - though that carries particularly interesting significance for Baena.
That is because he is the first footballer to win the European Championship, Olympic gold and the World Cup consecutively.
Spain are defending European champions after beating England 2-1 in the 2024 final, while they went on to win men's Olympic gold later that year by defeating France 5-3 in extra time.
Baena scored Spain's second goal in their Olympic final success. He was an unused substitute in the Euro 2024, having only recently broken into the senior national team set-up.
A handful of Uruguay stars came within a year of doing the consecutive treble back in 1930. They won Olympic gold in 1928 and the inaugural World Cup in 1930, but by the time the next South American championship came along - in 1935 - Italy had won the 1934 World Cup.
The United States women's team, meanwhile, won the World Cup in 2019 and the CONCACAF Women's Championship in 2022.
They lost in the semi-final of the 2021 Olympics, however, and by the time they did win gold in 2024, Spain had become the reigning Women's World Cup holders.
Who can currently match Baena's unique feat?
Only the USWNT, though, can actively match the record set by Baena - by next summer.
They contest the 2026 edition of the CONCACAF W Tournament between November and December - a tournament which they are clear favourites to win.
The Women's World Cup then takes place in 2027.
A total of 16 members of the 2024 Olympic contingent, including star forwards Trinity Rodman, Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson, could all achieve the feat if the USWNT win both tournaments.
At managerial level, Emma Hayes can become the first head coach to achieve the treble - with Spain's Luis de la Fuente not managing it on Sunday.
De la Fuente took charge of his national team prior to Euro 2024 and has guided them through an incredible period of success.
But he did not take charge of Spain's Olympic team in 2024, with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) allowing U21 head coach Santi Denia to take on the role instead.
Topics: Spain, FIFA World Cup, Olympics
Ryan Smart