Rhianna Benson
Several Chelsea FC teammates were left baffled following their Club World Cup final victory last night, after the US President suddenly gatecrashed their victory celebration.
Led by captain Reece James, the London team took on Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey on Sunday evening (13 Jul) for the nail-biting tournament - the first of its kind since it went from an annual competition to quadrennial back in 2023.
The Club World Cup previously saw the same seven teams from around the world invited to compete each year, before FIFA ruled that it would be expanded to include a further 25.
Ahead of its 2026 FIFA World Cup hosting gig next year, America were handed the honour of hosting Chelsea and PSG last night, which concluded with a 3-0 victory for the English.
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Two goals were scored by Manchester-born Cole Palmer, whilst Brazilian athlete João Pedro landed a third.
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Following their win, Chelsea's captain was approached by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was holding the team's colossal new trophy.
Bizarrely, however, Donald Trump was seen clasping onto the golden accolade from the other side as it approached, with many footballer's appearing confused by the Republican's entry onto the pitch.
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In several clips that have since gone viral online, 25-year-old James can be seen accepting the trophy from Trump, 79, before appearing to ask the right-wing politician, 'Can I lift it?'
Other eagle-eyed viewers assessing the footage believe the captain also inquired whether the President would be remaining on the field, after he appeared to ask Trump, 'You staying?'
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The American then appears to issue a brief response to James, though his exact words aren't quite clear, some social media users believe he answered, 'No, I am celebrating with you'.
The captain later told press during a team conference: "To be honest it was quite loud. I couldn't hear too much.
"He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment."
James wasn't the only footballer perplexed by the President's appearance, with another video doing the rounds on social media showing Palmer yelling on live TV, 'Why is Trump here?!', with a baffled look plastered across his face.
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The 23-year-old then confessed to the BBC: "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."
Chelsea's centre-mid Levi Colwill, 22, added of the Republican: "They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage. I thought that he was going to exit the stage but he wanted to stay."