Chelsea Lift Replica Club World Cup as Original Trophy Remains with Trump | OneFootball

Chelsea, Trump and the Club World Cup ConfusionWhy the real trophy stayed in Washington while the Blues lifted a replica

Trophy drama on a global stage

Chelsea’s recent celebration of their Club World Cup triumph had all the fanfare expected from champions, but the glittering trophy in their hands was not the original. That remains thousands of miles away, tucked inside the Oval Office, gifted to US President Donald Trump by FIFA president Gianni Infantino during a White House visit back in March.

Photo: IMAGO

After Chelsea’s win over Paris Saint-Germain at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, Trump joined the celebrations, even presenting medals to players. The scene, though festive, sparked confusion. Why was the former president on stage? Why was the trophy unfamiliar? The answer, as Trump explained, is as curious as it is uniquely political.

Trump’s tale of the trophy handover

Speaking to DAZN before the final, Trump lifted the lid on the situation.

“They said, ‘Could you hold this trophy for a little while?’ We put it in the Oval Office,” he said. “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.’”

That new version is what Chelsea lifted, a near-perfect replica forged because the original had already taken up residence behind the most powerful desk in the world.

From football to executive orders

In typically theatrical style, Trump used the interview to riff on football’s linguistic divide. “They would call it football, but I guess we call it soccer,” he said.

When prompted to issue an executive order to officially rename it in the US, Trump replied, “I think we could do that. I think I could do that.”

For Chelsea, the replica may not matter. The medals are real, the memories even more so. But for football purists, the real Club World Cup trophy now lives in Washington, caught in the surreal intersection of sport and politics.