The entire football community has been absolutely taken aback after Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente posted a casual photo dump on his official Instagram account, which quickly went viral on major social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter).
The striking image shows his close club and international teammate, Marc Pubill, sitting calm in a traditional Spanish sports bar atmosphere, with two large drinks placed straight on the table in front of him.
Football fans immediately examined the venue’s background details, noticing authentic match jerseys from prominent Spanish football figures such as Real Madrid‘s Dani Carvajal and Atletico captain Koke hanging on the walls, indicating a well-known Madrid establishment popular with professional elite athletes.
The surprise viral upload added an interesting new chapter to the two players’ close personal friendship, as they just celebrated winning the historic 2026 FIFA World Cup competition alongside the Spanish national football team before returning to their domestic club duties.
Marcos Llorente and Marc Pubill spent 52 days together throughout Spain’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, and they helped the team defeat Argentina 1-0 in the final at MetLife Stadium.
After returning to Atlético Madrid, the team honored its World Cup victors with a trophy ceremony at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
Llorente later announced his retirement from international football at the age of 31, stating that he made the choice prior to the tournament.
He continues with Atlético with Pubill and has continued to play in important games, including the recent Champions League match against Liverpool at Anfield, where Llorente has previously scored memorable goals.
Llorente’s Instagram photo dump, which included this shot among many others, provided one of the more clear revelations into their off-field relationship.
However, the internet discovered their pub photo and was more intrigued in Pubill’s unusual and explicit costume choice than the obvious booze.
The defender proudly sported a casual white t-shirt with the Spanish text “YA NO FUMO PORROS,” which translates straight to “I don’t smoke weed anymore.”
While the strange garment rapidly became the central punchline for innumerable online memes, the raw nature of the photograph concurrently spurred a far broader and deeper discourse over the modern football player’s public image.
One fan accurately expressed the widespread online feeling by stating that it had become acceptable for players to drink and not have to hide their drinking in images.
Very much in favor of it having become normalized that players drink and don’t have to always hide the alcohol in photos.
Historically, elite football clubs and stringent public relations companies have strictly monitored multi-millionaire athletes’ social media presence in order to preserve a clean, hyper-professional, and thoroughly sanitized corporate image.
Pubill has also jokingly referred to Llorente as his “lifestyle coach,” citing his unusual training and wellness regimens.
Llorente is recognized for his unconventional approach to training and lifestyle. He eats Paleolithic-style and has spoken about getting enough sunlight in the morning, which he sometimes incorporates into his routines.
His interests extend beyond football; his sense of humor is seen in the name of his pet pug, “Anfield,” which he named after the night he scored twice against Liverpool in the Champions League in 2020. Furthermore, everytime he plays at Anfield, he consistently gives his finest performance and scores.
The Pubill photo is consistent with Llorente’s preference for sharing candid situations and inside jokes over polished football footage.
Finally, this viral occurrence exemplifies a huge cultural shift in sports fandom, proving that today’s public prefers true, unfiltered peeks into their sporting stars’ private life over carefully planned, contrived public relations campaigns.
