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Chelsea's Club World Cup festivities featured an unusual attendee - US President Donald Trump.
After the Blues achieved a 3-0 victory against Paris St-Germain in New Jersey on Sunday, Trump handed the trophy to Chelsea’s captain, Reece James, before being asked to step aside by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
Nevertheless, Trump chose to stay beside James and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, clapping as James raised the trophy - remaining in place for a short while before he and Infantino exited from the back of the stage.
England's international player James remarked, "I was informed that he would be presenting the trophy and then leave the stage, and I had assumed he would do so, but he opted to remain."
"He offered his congratulations to me and the team for lifting the trophy and encouraged us to savor the moment."
Cole Palmer, who netted two goals for Chelsea in the final, mentioned, "I was aware he would be present, but I didn’t realize he would be on stage when we lifted the trophy."
"I found it a bit puzzling, yes."
The finale of the revised, larger Club World Cup – which featured elaborate pre-match entertainment and a half-time show – was witnessed by 81,118 attendees at MetLife Stadium.
Trump enjoyed Chelsea's strong performance in the final alongside Infantino and expressed during a half-time interview with Dazn that he was "having a really great time."
In a more extended interview aired later on Sunday, he noted, "Gianni is a friend of mine; he has done an excellent job with the league and with soccer – or as they would call it 'football', though I'm not sure that change could be made very easily."
"But it's wonderful to watch – and today’s match is a bit of an upset, isn’t it?"
When it was proposed that he could issue an executive order to have the sport referred to as "football" from now on, Trump smiled and replied, "I believe we could do that. I think I could manage that."
The United States, in partnership with Canada and Mexico, will co-host the men's World Cup in 2026 next summer.
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