Ruiz & Gavi's reward for win... 150kg of tomatoes
Spanish midfielders Fabian Ruiz and Gavi were honored in their hometown of Los Palacios y Villafranca with a unique gift of their body weight in tomatoes following their World Cup victory. The town also announced plans to rename football fields and build a monument to celebrate their achievement.
Why it matters
It highlights local traditions and the deep cultural connection between small communities and their sports heroes.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Ruiz (left) and Gavi were greeted by a large crowd on their return to Los Palacios y Villafranca
Winning the World Cup brings many rewards for players... but receiving your own body weight in tomatoes is surely one of the more unusual.
That is what Spain midfielders Fabian Ruiz and Gavi were presented with when they returned to their hometown after being part of the Spain squad that triumphed in North America.
The pair come from Los Palacios y Villafranca - a town to the south of Seville that has a population lower than 40,000 - and returned there on Wednesday for an official reception at the town hall.
Paris St-Germain's Ruiz, who started the final against Argentina, and Barcelona's Gavi wore their gold medals as they were greeted by Los Palacios y Villafranca officials and a large crowd.
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