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The Club World Cup in the United States have received mixed reviews from football fans and pundits.
At first, people looked at the tournament with a lot of apprehension, but as matches went by, and the Brazilian teams started posing some threat, people started taking notice.
Some fans didn't pay much attention as the reigning champions of England and Spain, Liverpool and Barcelona, respectively, weren't featuring in the competition.
However, there was a positive shift in social media during the knockout stages, which eventually saw Chelsea clinching the trophy over PSG in the final.
While Enzo Maresca's young brigade received a lot of plaudits from all over the world, former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has downplayed Chelsea's achievement.
"This Club World Cup also highlighted a kid who also had a great season at Chelsea, Cole Palmer. But this [Real Madrid] run to the semi-finals reminded me every time I went to the US for pre-season with Real Madrid, with Inter Milan, it reminded me of those games we played there. So, I think this World Cup title is only important for Chelsea, as they'll sell a lot of jerseys with the logo there," Mourinho told Canal 11.
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Before this, Jurgen Klopp also slammed the Club World Cup, where he criticised the scheduling of the tournament after a lengthy 2024/25 campaign.
How much did Chelsea make from winning the Club World Cup?
Despite the flak, the Blues brought home a whopping £84.7m ($113.7m) from winning the Club World Cup.
Amanda Perobelli-Reuters via Imagn Images
They secured £21.3m ($22.8m) as the guaranteed participation fee, and another £62.7m ($84.8m) for their performance in the competition.
The prize money from this tournament have helped them in facilitating transfers this summer as they are now linked with Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.
With the Club World Cup done, Chelsea have shifted their focus to the upcoming 2025/26 season, where they could be contending for the Premier League crown.
They have also returned to the Champions League and would look to make a deep push in the continental stage under Maresca, who finally has a team that can compete with the best teams in Europe.
English (US)