Blues stun favourites PSG for Club World Cup trophy

Chelsea shock the footballing world to become the revamped competition’s first champions Chelsea have done the unthinkable.

- WILL CASTLE

At the culmination of a tournament that has been widely detracted for non-footballing matters, the beautiful game prevailed. They’ve beaten the planet’s best to become champions of the world, against all odds.

Paris Saint-Germain, a team whose recent success stems from a philosophy that focuses on the collective, were dismantled by an individual. Cole Palmer has endured a tough six months, but provided an overwhelming reminder of his quality to guide the Blues to immortality. Scoring two and setting up the third, “cold” became the epitaph of a tournament that has been synonymous with heat.

The Club World Cup has been shrouded in controversy and criticism since its inception. Seen by many as an unnecessary addition to an already-crammed footballing calendar, with Fifa president Gianni Infantino thrusting himself into the centre of attention in pursuit of perceived personal political gain, people have seen through Fifa’s mirage of extravagance. On Sunday, FifPro — the world’s main player union ~ branded Infantino “the man who thinks he’s god” after he snubbed the body for a “key” meeting over footballer welfare, with the union claiming that the governing body was “silencing” football’s key protagonists.

But as the walls closed in on kickoff at the MetLife Stadium, the stands packed to a degree rarely seen in the competition, Fifa made one final effort to demonstrate the Club World Cup’s perceived “success” through showmanship. Robbie Williams showed off his pipes before an ungodly amount of yellow pyro was released into the surrounding atmosphere. All that preceded a rousing rendition of “Star-Spangled Banner” and a trademark military flyover, as Donald Trump joined Infantino in the presidential box on the one-year anniversary of his attempted assassination. That explained the heavy security presence in East Rutherford, namely the secret service.