Chelsea won, but the main character of the awards ceremony was someone else. U.S. President Donald Trump found himself at the center of the 'public nuisance controversy' as he grabbed not only the trophy but also the championship medal.
The British newspaper The Sun reported on the 16th (Korean time) that "President Trump was spotted taking the club World Cup championship medal as he left the awards platform."
On the 14th, Chelsea achieved a 3-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA. This marked Chelsea's second title, following their success in the 2024-2025 UEFA Conference League (UECL).
The Club World Cup has been held annually until now, but starting from this tournament, it will be changed to a four-year cycle, just like the World Cup. The participating teams have also changed to 32. The prize money has significantly increased to a total of $1 billion (approximately 1.3782 trillion won). Thanks to this, Chelsea managed to hit a 'jackpot' amounting to £92 million (approximately 171.1 billion won), including the championship prize.
It was somewhat of a one-sided game. Chelsea took the lead early, scoring three goals in the first half. Palmer single-handedly contributed two goals and one assist, decimating PSG. Although PSG attempted a counterattack in the second half, they were ultimately defeated without scoring after João Neves received a red card for pulling the opponent’s hair at the end of the match.
President Trump drew attention during the awards ceremony. He watched the final match held in his country alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino and ascended the awards platform to congratulate Chelsea on their victory. President Trump personally handed the championship trophy to Chelsea captain James.
After that, a somewhat awkward scene unfolded. Contrary to expectations, President Trump did not leave the awards platform and remained steadfastly in his place. While it is common for presenters to hand over the trophy and depart, President Trump stayed right next to James until he raised the trophy high, clapping and smiling. He seemed to engage in conversation, offering congratulatory messages to the Chelsea players.
Because of this, several Chelsea players looked at President Trump with puzzled expressions. Particularly, Palmer was unable to take his eyes off President Trump even when James lifted the trophy high. He confessed, "I knew Trump would be here. But I didn't expect him to still be on the awards platform when the trophy was lifted, so I was a bit confused."
James, who received the trophy from President Trump, also said, "I didn’t expect him to lift the trophy with us," adding, "But I can sense how significant the event's scale is. He just congratulated me and the team and told us to enjoy the moment." British media also expressed doubt about President Trump's behavior, referring to it as 'bizarrely' and labeling him a "scene-stealer."
Moreover, President Trump slyly took a championship medal. The Sun explained, "After the match, President Trump held a medal ceremony together with FIFA President Infantino. Even after all the medals were awarded, he was still holding a medal and put it into his suit jacket pocket, following Infantino."
It has also come to light that President Trump collected the championship trophy. He revealed that the original trophy of the Club World Cup is kept in the White House 'Oval Office.' The 'real' trophy, which cost around $230,000 (approximately 300 million won), was unexpectedly taken by President Trump, while Chelsea had to settle for a replica.
In an interview with 'DAZN', President Trump recounted, "They asked when I would take the trophy. I replied, 'I won’t take it at all. It can stay in the Oval Office forever. We will make a new trophy.' In fact, I made a new one for Chelsea. I was quite excited, but the original is in the Oval Office now."
It appears President Trump was both surprising everyone and enjoying himself. The Sun reported, "President Trump caused confusion on the awards platform as he did not leave and joined Chelsea's enthusiastic victory ceremony," stating, "He later told reporters, 'I had a really great time,' and praised the 80,000 spectators who both cheered and booed as 'incredible.' He jokingly mentioned he would issue an executive order to change the name of soccer to football, in the European sense."
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