Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Scott Trotter

What Ben Chilwell did after Chelsea's Club World Cup win and why Reece James followed suit

Chelsea Football Club are champions of the world.

It may have taken 120 minutes to land the title but Kai Havertz's late penalty allowed Thomas Tuchel's side to edge past Palmeiras at the death to claim the honour.

The Blues were laden with trophies in the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium as Thiago Silva earned the Golden Ball, the award for the best player in the tournament, and Antonio Rudiger picked up the Alibaba Cloud match award for his performance in the final.

Of course, there were a few medals to be handed out ahead of Chelsea being handed the Club World Cup Trophy too. Even to a couple of a players who perhaps were not expecting them.

Not everyone can be involved in the match but the Blues submitted a 23-man squad to FIFA for the tournament that included the players they had at their disposal so the likes of Trevoh Chalobah and Kenedy would be in line for a medal thanks to the Blues success.

Perhaps what was more unexpected was seeing Reece James and and Ben Chilwell celebrating with gold hanging around their necks, however.

The pair remain in rehabilitation from significant injuries, and while James did fly to Abu Dhabi to continue his recovery from a hamstring injury suffered in December, he completed his training away from the main group and was not named in Chelsea's squad.

Chilwell joined his teammates later in the week and arrived in time to spectate the semi-final win over Al-Hilal as well as the final, having been ruled out for the season after his ACL injury against Juventus in November.

Nevertheless the duo lined up with their teammates ready to take their place in the squad photograph as the trophy was lifted. They more than deserved their place there due to their role in the Champions League win last season that allowed Chelsea to qualify for the tournament.

What they would not have been expecting was a medal around their necks, though.

Show your support for the new World Champions and send your congratulations to Thomas Tuchel's men with our interactive map here

President of FIFA Gianni Infantino had other ideas however.

Chilwell followed Ross Barkley onto the platform and immediately tried to explain to the FIFA chief that he and James had not played and were just passing through to reach the stage. Infantino however, didn't think twice and placed the medal over his head and sent the 25-year-old on his way with a tap on the shoulders.

Safe to say, James followed behind and received the medal completely in his stride.

The sentiment clearly meant a lot to the defender who posted multiple photographs to his Instagram Story, wearing the medal and said: "I love this feeling."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.