"Wondered who would say anything to him" - Marc Cucurella admits he was 'scared s**tless' by Donald Trump during Chelsea's CWC trophy lift

Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has admitted he was left completely rattled by Donald Trump after the U.S. president intruded on their Club World Cup trophy celebration. The Blues won the first edition of FIFA’s 32-team club competition with a commanding 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey.

Trump was in attendance at the final showpiece at MetLife Stadium and assisted FIFA president Gianni Infantino in presenting medals. After Trump and Infantino handed Chelsea captain Reece James the trophy, the FIFA president left the podium while Trump remained, seemingly intent to celebrate with Enzo Maresca’s men.

In an interview with journalist Gerard Romero, Marc Cucurella recounted the awkward moment involving Donald Trump during their trophy celebration. The Spanish left-back revealed that the team had been briefed beforehand that Trump present the trophy but that they were not to lift it until he had left the stage. He said (via Jijantes):

“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, 'Lift it up, I'll stay here’, and so on. And I wondered who would say anything to him, you know... I was scared shitless.”

Cucurella turned heads during the match against Luis Enrique’s men, showcasing his excellent defensive instinctive instincts throughout. He made 54 appearances across competitions for the Blues last season.

“He wanted to stay” – Chelsea captain Reece James on Donald Trump's surprise presence during their trophy lift

Beying Cucurella's acount, a number of Chelsea players expressed surprise at Trump's decison to remain on the stage for the celebration.

Reece James told the media after the match (via BBC):

“They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage. I thought that he was going to exit the stage but he wanted to stay. To be honest, it was quite loud. I couldn't hear too much. He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment.”

Cole Palmer, who stole the spotlight in the match, also admitted to being taken aback.

"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. I was a bit confused, yes."

Chelsea will play a couple of friendly matches before kicking off their 2025/26 Premier League campaign at home to Crystal Palace on August 17.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide