Donald Trump has overlooked the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by naming the late, great Pele as his all-time favourite footballer.
The US President was in attendance as Chelsea swept aside European champions Paris Saint-Germain to be get their hands on the Club World Cup on Sunday night.
Though Cole Palmer was at his scintillating best to inspire the Blues to a comprehensive 3-0 victory, Trump managed to steal the limelight as Enzo Maresca’s men were presented with the trophy at the iconic MetLife Stadium.
After handing out the winners medals alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Trump refused to leave the stage and the 79-year-old copped some heavy criticism on social media for gatecrashing during Chelsea’s celebrations.
Trump’s deep love and passion for sport has been well-documented throughout the course of his two tenures in The White House, with the Republican leader a self-confessed golf, NFL, baseball – and WWE! – fanatic.
But prior to kick-off in New Jersey, Trump gave an insight into his little-known interest in football, or soccer, as he was asked to reveal his personal selection for the beautiful game’s GOAT (greatest of all time).
‘Many years ago, when I was young, they brought a player named Pele to play (in the States),’ Trump told DAZN.
‘He played for a team called the (New York) Cosmos and Steve Ross, a friend of mine, Warner Communications, he was the inspiration behind it.
‘This place was packed. It was an earlier version of this stadium right here in the Meadowlands and it was Pele.
‘I don’t want to date myself, but that was a long time ago. I was a young guy and I came to a watch Pele and he was fantastic so I’d say probably I’ll go old-fashioned.
‘That’s like saying Babe Ruth! But I would say Pele was so great.’
Widely regarded to be one of the greatest footballers of all time, Pele racked up a total of 1,279 goals in 1,363 games at club and international level and won three World Cup titles with the Brazilian national team.
After spending nearly two decades with his boyhood team Santos, Pele brought an end to his playing career with American outfit New York Cosmos.
In 2000, the Brazilian icon was named the World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.
Pele died aged 82 in December 2022 due to multiple organ failure after a lengthy cancer battle, with Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro subsequently declaring three days of national mourning.
FIFA chief Infantino – not for the first time – would find himself on the end of widespread criticism from the global football community after he was pictured taking a selfie beside Pele’s open coffin at a ceremony in Santos.
‘Just landed from my trip to Brazil where I had the privilege to participate in the beautiful homage to Pele that took place at Vila Belmiro, in Santos,’ Infantino responded to the backlash on Instagram.
‘I am dismayed after having been informed that I am apparently being criticised by some people for having taken a selfie and pictures at the ceremony yesterday.
‘I would like to clarify that I was both honoured and humbled that teammates and family members of the great Pele asked me if I could take a few photos with them. And obviously I immediately agreed.
‘In the case of the selfie, Pele’s teammates asked to do a selfie of all of us together but they didn’t know how to do it. So, to be helpful, I took the phone of one of them and took the photo of all of us for him.
‘If being helpful to a teammate of Pele creates criticism I’m happy to take it and will continue to be helpful wherever I can to those having contributed to write legendary pages of football.
‘I have so much respect and admiration for Pele and for that ceremony yesterday that I would never do anything that would be disrespectful in any way whatsoever.
‘I hope that those who published or said things without knowing and without seeking information could have the decency and courage to admit they were wrong and correct what they said.
‘The most important in any case is to pay tribute to King Pele, and whilst I humbly suggested that throughout our 211 member associations at least one football stadium or venue is named after him, we will set the example by giving the pitch in our headquarters the name “Estadio Pele – FIFA Zurich”. Um abraco e viva o Rei!’
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