World Cup winner makes desperate plea to Trump after being denied US visa for final

A former World Cup winner is personally pleading with Donald Trump to interfere with his Visa rejection after announcing he might miss the final between Spain and Argentina.

The US travel rules for the World Cup games this year have been causing chaos for visitors and soccer players alike, and now it could mean that a former champion won't be there to relive the glory.

Previously, a number of current players were reported to have found issues with entering the US due to its strict travel restrictions for a number of different international nations.

For example, Swiss Breel Embolo learned that his application to fly was placed under review, even though he was due to play at the event.

While it's not known what was holding up his application, there are some countries that have been barred from entering the US after Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown came into effect.

Unfortunately, plays into the reason why legendary 2010 World Cup champ and former Spain defender Joan Capdevila has allegedly been rejected.

The soccer star has since publicly appealed to the POTUS for help with his situation so he can make it to the final, which is happening tonight (July 19).

Capdevila was part of the team that won their only men's World Cup title could end up celebrating spectating from afar after his visa-free travel was denied due to a past visit to Iran.

The 48-year-old tagged Trump in a desperate plea for help as he wrote on X: "I NEED HELP @realDonaldTrump!"

He claimed his Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application had been rejected before also writing to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the Spanish government’s ministry of sport to further help him.

Capdevila's team reigned champions 16 tears ago when they played against the Netherlands during the global tournament.

🚨 ¡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

Like all soccer stars, travel is part of the job description.

However, unfortunately for Capdevila, the US is currently at war with one nation he visited some 10 years ago when he was playing for a Spanish team.

Four participating countries were subjected to travel suspensions, per the National Immigration Forum: Iran, Haiti, Ivory Coast, and Senegal.

There are also restrictions to 12 nations in total (Algeria, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia).

The former player's travel complications stem from an exhibition match a decade ago where he played for a Spanish La Liga legends team against Iranian all-stars in Tehran.

Under US State Department rules, travelers who have visited Iran after 1 March 2011 are ineligible for ESTA and 'must obtain a visa prior to travelling to the United States.'

Capdevila's translated tweet read in full: " I NEED HELP @realDonaldTrump! 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... @educaciongob If anyone knows how to fix this, I'll be grateful to you for life."

UNILAD reached out to the US Department of Homeland Security for comment.