On July 25, according to Marca, Ferran Torres, a key player in Spain's victory, revealed on The Wild Project that he was influenced by mixed martial arts champion Ilya Topria, which led to a significant psychological transformation.

Many heroic stories don't begin smoothly, and Ferran Torres is one of them.

Today, this Spanish striker has been etched into national team history for helping Spain win their second World Cup title. But before becoming a national hero, Ferran Torres also experienced the darkest period of his career.

Previously, Ferran Torres had admitted on the podcast "The Wild Project" that he had once "hit rock bottom." However, in the summer of 2023, he went to watch Ilya Topria's match against Aleksandar Volkanovski, an experience that completely changed his professional attitude and became a major turning point in his life.

It was after that that Ferran Torres began to be called "El Tiburón" by his teammates.

Meeting Topria changed Ferran Torres's way of thinking.

The story begins with Ferran Torres contacting Ilya Topria via social media, hoping to attend one of his matches, and Topria quickly responded positively.

Ferran Torres recalled on the show: "You know what? Sometimes you meet someone and there's a special feeling between you, and you know you're going to get along really well with them. That's what I had with Ilya, and it proved to be true."

That meeting also allowed Ferran Torres to experience Topria's strong mental fortitude up close for the first time.

He said, "Whether he wins or loses in the end, he will feel like a winner. When you talk to him, you feel that in his world, the possibility of failure simply does not exist."

This mindset of always believing in oneself and always maintaining a competitive spirit deeply influenced Ferran Torres.

For the Barcelona striker, the mental strength shown by Topria has become an important driving force for him to regain his form.

"I know what hitting rock bottom means, and I don't want to experience it again."

Ferran Torres admitted that it was after being influenced by Topria that he began to re-examine his career.

“I want to be a better Ferran, I want to become like Ilya Topria. I want to be an indestructible person.”

"Ultimately, you'll gradually come to believe it. My therapist often tells me that I have a gift: I'm a very sensitive person."

Ferran Torres said that his past experiences have made him cherish everything he has now even more: "I know what it means to hit rock bottom, and I don't want to hit rock bottom again."

"So now every morning when I wake up, I think about what I can still do to be better than yesterday and to distance myself as much as possible from what happened in the past. My brain is constantly working, thinking about how to improve myself and how to extend my career as much as possible."

Since then, Ferran Torres has undergone a psychological transformation.

He no longer relies solely on talent to play football, but has begun to place greater emphasis on discipline, self-discipline, and the process of continuous self-improvement.

Origin of the nickname "Shark"

Ferran Torres' current nickname, "Shark," is also related to Topria.

When discussing his match against Volkanovski, Topria famously said, "There's only one shark here, everyone else is a sardine... and that shark is me."

This phrase quickly went viral, and Ferran Torres' Barcelona teammates began calling him "Shark."

In a previous interview with El Periódico, Ferran Torres explained the nickname: "The name comes from the Ferran I am now, as well as from my discipline, my mentality, my competitiveness, and my attitude of always wanting to be the best version of myself."

From slump to World Cup hero

Ferran Torres' career path has not been smooth sailing.

After joining Barcelona, he experienced ups and downs in form and faced external criticism. However, by constantly adjusting his mindset, he gradually regained his confidence and eventually became an important member of the Spanish national team.

Today, he has become a national hero through his own efforts.

From hitting rock bottom to standing on the highest podium at the World Cup, Ferran Torres' story proves one thing:

What truly determines a player's potential is not just technique and talent, but more importantly, the ability to get back up when faced with difficulties.

Topria changed Ferran Torres's way of thinking, and Ferran Torres proved the value of that change with his actions.