.jpeg)
Madison Burgess
Donald Trump made a shock admission before he controversially gatecrashed Chelsea’s trophy ceremony following the final game of the Club Word Cup on Sunday (13 July).
For those who missed it, the US President, 79, watched the London team beat Paris Saint-Germain in the final match of the tournament.
He and his wife Melania watched the action from a private box at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, before the Republican leader got in amidst it all himself.
After Chelsea triumphed 3-0, Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino together carried the trophy to the team on stage.
Advert
However, the awkward moment that followed has gone viral, as Trump didn’t leave the stage and instead lifted the silverware with the players who won it and joined in with their celebrations.
The decision certainly divided opinion, with some football fans unhappy that the world leader somewhat took the attention away from the team, while others branded it as ‘iconic.’
Following the bizarre situation, Chelsea’s captain Reece James said: "To be honest it was quite loud. I couldn't hear too much.
Advert
"He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment."
He added: “They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage, and I thought that he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay.”
Meanwhile, fellow player Cole Palmer, who scored twice in the game, admitted: “I knew he was going to be here but I didn’t know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy. I was a bit confused, yes.”
And now, the story has gotten even more wild as Trump has revealed that FIFA Officials actually gave him the real Club World Cup trophy and Chelsea had to take home a replica.
Advert
Ahead of Sunday’s game, the American President told DAZN that the real gold trophy was actually sitting in the Oval Office after he was gifted it back in March.
Trump said: “They said, ‘Could you hold this trophy for a little while?’ We put it in the Oval Office.”
He added: “And then I said, ‘When are you going to pick up the trophy?’ He says, ‘We're never going to pick it up. You can have it forever in the Oval Office. We're making a new one.”
Advert
Trump gushed: “And they actually made a new one. So that was quite exciting…It’s in the Oval right now.”
After finding out this new information, sports fans are understandably confused by the fact that the team who won had to take home a replica.
Baffled social media users wrote on X: “Holy s**t… how is this real” and “Is this real?!”
Others chimed in with: “It’s 100% crazy and 100% true” and “This is theft, the hardworking sport team who won should get the ORIGINAL because they EARNED IT and WORKED for it?!”
Advert
However, someone else pointed out: “I’m no fan of Trump but if it was a gift of course he kept it. That’s what you generally do with a gift.”
Another agreed: “It was kept in the Oval Office as the FIFA president allowed it to and encouraged it but sure!”