Winning goal and a big heart: how Ferran Torres helps homeless animals

Striker for the Spanish national team and Barcelona football club Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, is known not only for his sporting achievements but also for his active work in animal protection and environmental conservation.

The footballer has supported international charitable initiatives aimed at helping homeless animals for several years and also advocates for reducing the use of single-use plastic.

Love for animals has accompanied Torres since childhood. The footballer grew up in the Spanish city of Foios, where a dog named Rex occupied a special place in his life. After the death of his pet, the athlete immortalized his memory with a tattoo, which, according to him, he got together with his sister. As a result, this experience had a significant influence on his further attitude toward animal protection issues.

Today, several dogs live in the athlete’s home, most of which were taken from shelters or rescued after difficult life circumstances. Among them are the Andalusian Podenco named Minnie, the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog Lluna, and Milo — a dog that Torres took from the Bulgarian shelter Street Hearts BG in 2021.

Milo’s story began in the summer of 2021, when three emaciated puppies were found under a bridge near the town of Dryanovo in Bulgaria. According to the founder and head of the shelter Emma Smith, the animals had been abandoned, were in extremely poor condition, and needed urgent veterinary care.

After treatment, vaccination, and rehabilitation, shelter staff began looking for permanent families for the puppies.

In September of the same year, Ferran Torres, then playing for the English club Manchester City, took custody of Milo through a British charity organization that collaborated with the Bulgarian shelter. After moving to Barcelona, the footballer brought the dog to Spain, where she continues to live with him and his other pets.

According to Emma Smith, the famous athlete’s decision to take a dog specifically from the Bulgarian shelter became an important event for the organization. She noted that thanks to Torres’s social media posts with Milo, attention to the shelter’s activities increased significantly, and many other animals were also able to find new families.

A special place in the footballer’s public activities is his cooperation with the international charitable foundation Wild at Heart Foundation, founded by British restaurateur and animal rights activist Nikki Tibbles. Torres joined the organization in 2021, becoming its first official ambassador. According to the athlete, his own experience of living far from pets while playing for the English club prompted him to take this step.

The foundation’s activities are aimed at solving the problem of stray dogs around the world, and the organization implements animal sterilization programs, supports responsible adoption, and helps shelters find new owners for dogs that have ended up on the street or suffered abuse.

In addition to animal protection, the Spanish footballer actively supports environmental initiatives. He collaborates with the Kick Out Plastic project, which advocates for reducing the use of single-use plastic and popularizing an environmentally responsible lifestyle.

Torres himself has repeatedly noted that communicating with animals and time spent in nature help him recover after a busy sports schedule. According to the footballer, walks with dogs, hikes in the mountains, and rest by the sea are an important part of his life and allow him to maintain emotional balance.