Former Spain defender Joan Capdevila has turned to US President Donald Trump for help after being denied entry into the US for the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. In 2010, Capdevila helped Spain win its only men’s World Cup title, starting in the final against the Netherlands, and he was also a member of the team that won the 2008 European Championship.
But he is worried he will miss Sunday’s final and addressed Trump in a post on X, saying his application for visa-free entry via the country’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) was denied. Visitors from select countries who want to enter the US without a visa apply via ESTA.
““I NEED HELP @realDonaldTrump!” Capdevila posted on
🚨 ¡NECESITO AYUDA @realDonaldTrump ! 🙏I am finally able to say that I cannot travel to the final with my children because I have been denied the stay. 😭Can anyone help me with this? You don’t know the illusion that I had of being able to be there with all my companions of 2010 and with this team… pic.twitter.com/VH9wakzaH1
—Joan Capdevila (@capde11) July 17, 2026
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Capdevila also sent a separate message to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and tagged the Spanish government’s ministry of sport in his post.
The 48-year-old Capdevila wrote that he wants to be at the game in New Jersey “with all my 2010 teammates” to cheer on the current Spain squad.
Why Capdevila Was Denied Entry Into The US?
Ten years ago, Capdevila was part of a Spanish La Liga legends exhibition team that faced a team of all-stars from Iran in Tehran. The US State Department allows travelers from “visa waiver” countries to enter with an ESTA. The program’s rules specify instances in which travelers are not eligible for ESTA — one of which being if they’ve traveled to Iran after March 1, 2011 — and if so they “must obtain a visa prior to traveling to the United States.”
