Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella admitted he was ‘scared s***less!’ by Donald Trump when he crashed the Blues’ Club World Cup trophy lift earlier this month.
Chelsea became the club champions of the world after they beat Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final, demonstrating their genuine quality this year.
Two goals from Cole Palmer and a third from Joao Pedro sealed the deal for Enzo Maresca’s side, who completed an impressive double after their Conference League triumph.
While Palmer shone on the pitch, it was President Trump who stole the show off it when he chose to ignore FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s advice to leave the stage after handing the inaugural trophy to skipper Reece James.
Reuters
|Cole Palmer appeared bemused as Donald Trump remained for the trophy lift
The usual protocol would be for Trump to vacate the stage immediately to allow Chelsea their moment of glory, but he instead chose to stay on the stage to the bemusement of the Chelsea players, and Palmer in particular.
The 23-year-old could be seen questioning, “What’s he doing?” and asking James to pause the trophy lift until Trump left the stage but the President insisted on staying.
After the incident, Palmer said: “I knew he was going to be here, but I didn't know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy, so I was a bit confused, yeah.”
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Reuters
|President Trump presented Cole Palmer the golden ball trophy for the best player in the tournament
But it turns out that Palmer was not alone in his confusion at the incident, as Spaniard Cucurella, who could be seen behind skipper James during the presentation, has revealed he was “scared s***less” with the President’s presence.
Cucurella told Spanish journalist Gerard Romero: “We had been told that, as a rule, Donald Trump would come to present us with the trophy and that we couldn't lift it until he left.
“And of course, we were all there waiting for him to leave, but the guy didn't want to leave, and on top of that, we looked at him and he said, ‘Get him up, I'll stay here, and so on.’
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“And I wondered who would say anything to him, you know... I was scared s***less!”
The President was there to oversee the final, including the inaugural Half-Time Show that saw A-list performers such as Coldplay and Doja Cat.
Trump was then at the centre of the presentation, handing Cole Paler his golden ball trophy and the winners’ medals to the Chelsea squad.
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Reuters
|Marc Cucurella revealed he was 'scared s***less' when meeting the President
In fact, the 79-year-old was even spotted on camera pocketing a medal of his own, possibly as a souvenir.
Although he already has the most significant souvenir as the trophy Trump handed to James was actually a replica, with the original residing in the Oval Office.
The President later confirmed the trophy would remain in the White House after Infantino offered to keep it there and make a replica for the winners of the tournament.
Following the competition, Trump even discussed the possibility of an executive order decreeing that soccer be called football, in the latest bizarre twist in the evolving relationship between the 47th President and Infantino.