World Cup Hero Ferran Torres Visits Ravens Training Camp, Delivers Message That Hits Home for Jesse Minter
Baltimore’s third practice of the week got an unexpected visitor Thursday. Ferran Torres, the Spanish forward who scored the winning goal in this summer’s World Cup final, stopped by Ravens training camp and spoke to the team afterward.
Torres talked about patience. About being ready. About showing up when the moment demands it. For a Ravens team under a first-year head coach trying to build something new, the message landed.
“Talk about just being ready when your number is called [and] being at your best when your best is needed — that is like the ultimate,” Minter said, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, who has been tracking Ravens camp updates throughout the summer.
Torres knows something about delivering in the biggest moment available to a soccer player. He came off the bench in the 106th minute of the World Cup final against Argentina and buried a left-footed finish past goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, snapping a scoreless deadlock and sending Spain to a 1-0 win at MetLife Stadium. The goal gave Spain its first World Cup title since 2010 and dethroned defending champion Argentina — with Lionel Messi and Argentina denied a repeat in the process.
That kind of poise under pressure is exactly the tone Minter has tried to set since taking over. He was hired in January, days after Baltimore moved on from John Harbaugh after 18 seasons, and the hire itself drew plenty of scrutiny given the shoes he’s filling.
Thursday’s session wasn’t without friction. At one point, linebacker Tavius Robinson shoved offensive tackle Carson Vinson after a play. No punches landed, but Minter had to pull the group together to reset the temperature — a reminder that even with a World Cup champion watching, training camp tempers still run hot in late-summer heat that reportedly climbed to 92 degrees on the practice field.
It was also the longest practice of the week, stretching roughly two and a half hours. Baltimore worked through extended team drills, running eight- and nine-play sequences to simulate real-game scenarios. In a lighter moment, the defensive backs group ran a tackling drill using the team’s coaching interns as targets.
Why It Matters
None of this changes Baltimore’s roster or its outlook heading into the regular season. But visits like Torres’ are part of how a new coaching staff tries to build culture in year one. Minter spent years as an assistant in Baltimore before returning as head coach, and outside voices — especially ones with a fresh championship pedigree — can carry weight in a locker room still adjusting to a new voice at the top.
The Ravens continue camp with joint practices against the Minnesota Vikings later this month before opening the regular season in September.
