Cole Palmer breaks silence on strange interaction with Donald Trump

Palmer scored twice as Chelsea beat PSG 3-0

Following their 3-0 win, Chelsea were all set to become the first team in history to lift the Club World Cup at New York's MetLife Stadium.

The trophy was presented to players by Donald Trump and Fifa President Gianni Infantino, who had been expected to retreat away out of sight of the cameras after handing over the golden prize.

However Trump, who had been subject to boos throughout the afternoon’s game, had different ideas. 

Unlike US sports like the NFL — where it is common for billionaire owners to be part of the trophy celebrations — in football the moment of celebration is expected to be enjoyed by the players alone. 

Just as Chelsea captain Reese James prepared to celebrate the London club’s triumph, the 47th President refused to move away from centre stage. 

Despite repeated attempts from Infantino to get Trump to move out of centre view, he stayed put and images from the day show Trump as close to James as anyone. 

A highly peculiar situation followed, with Chelsea’s squad jumping and cheering in celebration all while stood just centimetres from the world’s most powerful man. 

Now, Chelsea's star forward Cole Palmer — who put in a Man of the Match performance during the final — has described what it was like to be on stage with America's Commander-In-Chief.

The 23-year-old England international 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,' per BBC Sport.

Cole Palmer scored the opening two goals before assisting Joao Pedro who scored Chelsea's third.

The scenes are completely unprecedented in the world of global football and have led to outroar from fans. 

One took to Twitter/X to write: “Trump is the most narcissistic, least respectful president in modern history. 

“Infantino was clearly trying to get him off the field, but this orange buffoon hijacked the moment and didn’t let Chelsea’s players enjoy their victory. 

“Pathetic excuse for a human.”

Others have seen the funny side, with another fan writing: “Absolutely dying at Donald Trump in the centre of Chelsea lifting the Club World Cup.”