Spain legend denied entry into US as appeal made to Donald Trump before World Cup final

Spain are set to face Argentina in the final of the World Cup this Sunday, and there will be plenty of footballing fans from both nations aiming to secure a ticket for the game; however, one legend from the victorious 2010 team has reached out to Donald Trump after being denied entry to the United States.

La Roja are aiming to add to their fine collection of international silverware with this being a chance to secure a second World Cup, while they have collected four European Championship titles.

Standing in their way is Argentina, a three-time World Cup champion, with the South American nation aiming to become only the third side to win the competition in consecutive tournaments, after Italy achieved this in 1938, as well as their rivals, Brazil, in 1962.

A 2010 World Cup winner would love to see the clash and if Spain can deny Argentina lifting the trophy for the fourth time; however, Joan Capdevila has been denied entry to the United States.

The Spain legend has claimed his Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which allows visitors to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa, has been denied, and now he has reached out to Donald Trump on X, formerly Twitter, for help.

Capdevila wrote: “I NEED HELP @realDonaldTrump!

🚨 ¡NECESITO AYUDA @realDonaldTrump ! 🙏

Me acaban de decir que no puedo viajar a la final con mis hijos porque me han denegado el ESTA 😭

¿Alguien me puede ayudar con esto? No sabéis la ilusión que me hacía poder estar allí con todos mis compañeros de 2010 y con este equipo… pic.twitter.com/VH9wakzaH1

— Joan Capdevila (@capde11) July 17, 2026

"They just told me that I can't travel to the final with my kids because my ESTA has been denied.

"Can anyone help me with this? You have no idea how excited I was to be there with all my 2010 teammates and this team to cheer them on. I can't believe they're not letting me into the USA... and that I'll miss a moment like this with my kids who love soccer so much.

"If anyone knows how to fix this, I'll be grateful to you for life."

Joan Capdevila’s impact at the 2010 World Cup

The former Villarreal star was an important piece of the Spanish World Cup victory in 2010, as he featured in every minute of their tournament.

Vicente del Bosque trusted Capdevila to slot in at left-back, being part of a defence that only conceded two goals across the whole tournament, with these both coming in the group stage.

Capdevila was the only player in the Spanish starting line-up for the World Cup final that was not at the time representing either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

While his impact as a willing presser and an important part of Spain’s attack and defence was seen in the fact that he was among the top ten players of the competition in terms of distance covered, having run 71.79 km.