Chelsea conquer as new era of club football begins

• Chelsea FC crowned inaugural winners of the FIFA Club World Cup
• Tournament set a new benchmark for club football on and off the pitch
• Blues forward Cole Palmer wins the adidas Golden Ball

From all corners of the globe they came. Glittering giants of the club game in Africa, Asia, Europe, Central and North America, Oceania and South America, all assembled in the USA to take a step into the unknown.

Four weeks, 63 matches and 195 goals later it’s now very much the known, as a new era of global club football has been firmly established with the inaugural edition of the FIFA Club World Cup™.

An exhilarating month of action from Miami to Seattle, Los Angeles to Philadelphia and many points in between saw stars rumbling in the Rose Bowl and rising above the Rockefeller Center. It was capped with the Blues taking a bite of the Big Apple as Chelsea FC were crowned the competition’s maiden masters.

It was a tournament of firsts in more ways than one, with technological innovations standing alongside a truly global gathering of players and fans at an event that drew record revenues and attendances.

There were twilight-dimming turns from global icons and the emergence of the stars of tomorrow. FIFA World Cup™ winners from FC Bayern München and SL Benfica mingling with the delivery drivers, real estate agents and teachers from amateur outfit Auckland City FC.

That spirit of inclusion was one that FIFA President Gianni Infantino stressed as the lights dimmed for the last time at MetLife Stadium.

“Football is the global sport. It’s the most popular sport in the world, we know that. Now we can prove that with this new competition, the Club World Cup, which really brings together teams, players and fans from all over the world.

“Auckland (City) represents 99.9% of football players and fans – all of us who would like to be like them and who will never have a chance to play and, suddenly, well, one of us, or a few of us, have been able to play against these guys and it must be a place for everyone.”

Ref Cam arrives

There were several refereeing innovations at the tournament, including allowing a corner kick to be awarded if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds. An advanced version of the semi-automated offside technology also helped speed up decisions but the showstopper that brought fans closer to the game than ever was the introduction of body-worn cameras.

It was a chance for viewers at home to see things from the perspective of the match officials and brought them up close with the big decisions, game-shifting goals and the occasional meltdown.

Universal success

Teams from all six FIFA confederations picked up at least one point and also scored at least one goal at a tournament that was largely balanced and competitive. Among the highlights from the group stage was Inter Miami CF's 2-1 win over FC Porto, which marked the first time that a Concacaf club had defeated a European foe at a FIFA club tournament. That success wasn’t just confined to the group stage though as clubs under the flags of the AFC, Concacaf, CONMEBOL and UEFA were all involved in knockout stage action.

Raining goals

Underlining the universal appeal of the tournament, there were scorers from 39 different nations at a tournament that produced more than three goals a game on average and plenty of those were strikes of the highest quality. Lionel Messi’s curling free-kick against FC Porto, a thunderbolt from CF Monterrey’s Nelson Deossa against Urawa Red Diamonds and a Kylian Mbappe bicycle kick to help settle things against Borussia Dortmund were among the highlights.

Starlets emerge

Arriving in the USA with just six first-team appearances for Real Madrid C. F. , 21-year-old forward Gonzalo Garcia departed the Club World Cup with six starts under his belt. With four goals and an assist he was also named the winner of the Top Goal Scorer Award presented by Bank of America at the end of a breakout tournament.

The Madrid-born forward was just one of several starlets that emerged or enhanced their reputations at the global showpiece with Al Hilal’s Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo, Palmeiras’ Chelsea-bound spark Estevao as well as forwards Kenan Yildiz and Arda Guler all catching the eye stateside.

Arguably the biggest gem though was Paris Saint-Germain’s all-action attacking threat, Desire Doue who was named the winner of the FIFA Best Young Player Award, presented by Panini.

Auckland’s moment

Arriving at the tournament as the only amateur club, Navy Blue backs were very much firmly against the wall. Heavy defeats against Bayern München and then Benfica gave little hint of what was to come in their final group outing against a CA Boca Juniors side that needed a win to try and secure a Round of 16 berth.

After a first half own goal and just before a lengthy weather delay arrived, trainee teacher Christian Gray popped up with an equaliser that would eventually see Auckland claim an historic first goal and point at the tournament.

Global gathering

The inaugural edition of the Club World Cup clearly attracted attention of fans both in the USA and far beyond. More than two billion people viewed matches for free through DAZN while close to two and a half million, at an average of almost 40,000, took in live action in the host nation.

That global impact was highlighted even further by the fact that fans from more than 168 different nations watched live matches at one of the 11 venues, with players from 72 different nations in action across a magical month of football.

Chelsea’s crown

Enza Maresca’s baby blues were one of the youngest squads at the tournament but played beyond their years. After a 3-1 defeat at the hands of CR Flamengo in their second group outing, Chelsea were almost unstoppable thereafter. The following five matches saw them concede just one non-penalty goal, plunder 14 of their own, bring down a pair of Brazilian heavyweights and then annihilate the reigning European champions in the decider.

Award winners

adidas Golden Ball: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
adidas Silver Ball: Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
adidas Bronze Ball: Moises Caicedo (Chelsea)
adidas Golden Glove: Robert Sanchez (Chelsea)
FIFA Best Young Player Award presented by Panini: Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain)
Top Goal Scorer Award presented by Bank of America: Gonzalo Garcia (Real Madrid C. F.)
FIFA Fair Play Award: FC Bayern München

Standout stats

• Chelsea finished as the tournament top scorers, with 17 goals
• Both Chelsea and PSG had ten different scorers
• Blues midfielder Enzo Fernandez became the first player to win both the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Club World Cup