The President of the United States, Donald Trump, was in attendance for Chelsea’s 3-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final and had a few words for Reece James after the game.
Cole Palmer put on a show for Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was also at the MetLife Stadium to watch Chelsea‘s triumph.
Palmer scored the Blues’ first two goals before Joao Pedro killed off the match on the half-hour mark.
PSG manager Luis Enrique was impressed with Palmer, describing the attacking midfielder’s performance as “very good”.
- READ MORE: Enzo Maresca knew Chelsea would beat PSG just 10 minutes into final after noticing two things
Donald Trump told Reece James and Chelsea to enjoy success
Trump surprised everyone during Chelsea’s trophy lift, with the US President remaining with Enzo Maresca‘s team as they raised the Club World Cup.
James certainly did not expect it but thinks Trump’s presence shows just how big the tournament is. The defender also revealed what exactly Trump said to him following his side’s success.
Speaking after the game, with journalist Ben Jacobs relaying James’ comments on X, he said: “I wasn’t expecting him to lift the trophy with us, but I guess it shows just how big the tournament is. He just congratulated me and the team and told us to enjoy the moment.”
It is the second trophy that James has lifted as Chelsea captain following the Blues’ Conference League triumph back in May.
The full-back did not start for Chelsea in their 4-1 win against Real Betis but was not bitter about it. Before the game, James was seen with Malo Gusto, who got the nod instead of him, sharing some words of encouragement with the Frenchman.
Reece James backed one Chelsea teammate to play ‘big part’ in final
While Palmer was Chelsea’s standout player in the Club World Cup final, Enzo Fernandez did not have his best game.
James backed Fernandez to have an important role before the match, but he played just over 60 minutes before being taken off.
“Enzo Fernandez is an amazing player, an amazing person,” James said. “He’s come on so much since he arrived at Chelsea. He’s a huge part of Chelsea Football Club. A huge player for our team. He will play a big part on Sunday.”
Overall, though, Fernandez had a good tournament, finishing it with one goal and three assists. If the Argentine, James and Palmer reproduce the form that they showed in America in the new Premier League campaign, then Chelsea could be in for another good season under Maresca.
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