As the football world reflects on Paris Saint-Germain’s emphatic 5–0 victory over Inter Milan in the 2025 UEFA Champions League Final in Munich, attention has already turned toward the global stage.
With both finalists now playing in the FIFA Club World Cup, Champions League and Club World Cup winner Cesc Fàbregas shared his thoughts with DAZN while attending the Gatorade 5v5 tournament, a competition which brings together youth five-a-side teams from around the world in a knockout tournament to celebrate the unifying power of football and Gatorade’s work in encouraging this and education around hydration.
“Yeah, I think for Gatorade it's super important, to teach and educate all the younger generations, the young guys, boys and girls, that it's super important, to drink well, for your mindset, to feel good for your performance, for your recovery," said Fàbregas when speaking exclusively to DAZN.
"Sometimes we underestimate, all the help that it can give you, during the day, especially in the summer when it's hot, but if you can have a good structure about being well hydrated during the day and during the week, your performance will eventually go higher and higher.”
Watching PSG’s dominant win over Inter Milan and their equally impressive performance against Atheltic Madrid in their opening Club World Cup match, the Serie A Como manager reflected on the importance of team and mentality, especially for young players, “Once you get the ego out and the selfishness out and you understand that it's all about the team then you have always more possibilities to win.”
Both PSG and Inter Milan are now fully focusing on the FIFA Club World Cup, which kicked off on July 14 in the US and features a new format bringing together 32 of the world’s best clubs.
DAZN will broadcast the entire tournament free to viewers globally, offering fans the chance to see champions from every continent compete on a truly global stage.
“It’s a great experience, obviously it's a new format now that will be interesting to see.
"I have high expectations for how it will turn out to be but it's just good to go away and play against teams that you don't get to see much, you don't get to follow, you don't really know the level and you feel it once you are on the pitch and I'm looking forward to it,” said Fàbregas, recalling his own experience winning the Club World Cup with Barcelona.
Reflecting on the youth development trends at his former clubs Chelsea and Barcelona, Fàbregas said on Chelsea: “Well they had to really, they made a big investment and 100% with really, really top talents, it was obvious that they needed time to get to know each other.
"When you are very young sometimes you make mistakes, you need a little bit more time to get going and I'm happy to see that they are developing really well.
"You could see the other day, I know they were really superior in the Conference League in general throughout all the stages but you can only win what's in front of you and they did it in a good way, they are performing, this will give them belief to achieve better things in the future. I'm happy for them.”
On Barcelona’s current crop of La Masia graduates, Fàbregas said: “I think it's different times, obviously now everything is different because you can see that they are giving so many opportunities to 16, 17 years old which before it was basically not happening.
"So I'm very happy for all of these talents, because there are a lot of talents in La Masia, some of them get lost, some of them need to go away and they don't get the recognition or the performance that they merit at the club. So it's fantastic to see that La Masia products are doing well at the club now.”
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What connects all these themes - youth development, hydration, team mentality, and international competition - is the pathway football creates.
Events like the Gatorade 5v5 tournament give young players from different countries a platform to learn the importance of preparation, both on and off the pitch. As Fàbregas notes, hydration and recovery are often underestimated but vital parts of the athlete’s journey.
As PSG aim to follow up their Champions League success with Club World Cup glory, and as Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Al Ahly, Urawa Red Diamonds, and other continental champions prepare for battle, football fans worldwide will be able to witness the unfolding global story for free on DAZN.
Stay tuned with DAZN for full free coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes access, powered by Gatorade.
Written by DAZN in partnership with Gatorade