A lip-reading expert has claimed that Donald Trump expressed his admiration for Cole Palmer, telling the Chelsea star he was a "big fan" during their Club World Cup victory celebrations. Chelsea were crowned world champions on Sunday evening following their stunning 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, who entered the match as favourites after clinching the Champions League title and demolishing Real Madrid with a 4-0 win in the semi-finals.
The Blues executed their gameplan masterfully to neutralise PSG's formidable offence, with Palmer netting two goals and new recruit Joao Pedro adding another to the tally. After their successful run in the US-hosted tournament, which added to their UEFA Conference League win earlier in the season, Chelsea are reported to have pocketed a cool £97m.
The triumph led to exuberant celebrations as they ascended the stage to hoist the trophy of the newly formatted competition at MetLife Stadium.
US President Trump also graced the stage, presenting captain Reece James with the trophy. However, confusion ensued among the players when the controversial figure lingered during the trophy presentation.
Palmer appeared perplexed, seemingly asking his teammates: "What's he doing?" as Trump engaged in conversation with James and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Trump had previously presented Sanchez with the Golden Glove award and bestowed upon Palmer the Golden Ball prize, with the pair exchanging a few words after being introduced by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
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Jeremy Freeman, a lip-reading expert, told the Daily Mail that during the celebrations, Trump praised Palmer by saying: "Chelsea's biggest fan. I'm a big fan of you. So well done you."
It appears Palmer simply responded with a polite: "Thank you" before rejoining his team-mates.
The trophy-lifting moment was reportedly preceded by James seeking Trump's go-ahead, which Palmer hesitated over, advising: "No, no just wait, wait... wait... wait."
However, Trump was encouraging, responding with: "Oh yeah we can, good!" and thus Chelsea commenced their jubilations.
Freeman also noted that Sanchez queried Trump about lifting the trophy, asking: "Please sir, want us to lift the trophy next to you?" to which Trump gave his blessing.
Post-match, Palmer addressed Trump's unexpected presence during the trophy ceremony, expressing: "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."
While some fans have criticised Trump for detracting from Chelsea's moment, captain James had no objections. He shared the president's words with him: "I wasn't expecting him to lift the trophy with us, but I guess it shows just how big the tournament is. He just congratulated me and the team and told us to enjoy the moment."
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