The 6 weirdest trophy presentations after Donald Trump gatecrashes Chelsea celebrations
Donald Trump’s cameo in Chelsea’s Club World Cup celebrations isn’t the only time that trophy presentations have got extremely weird.
Enzo Maresca’s side shocked PSG to beat them 3-0 in the final of the newly adapted summer tournament, but the most notable moment came during the trophy lift when Trump refused to leave the stage.
After some confused faces, notably from captain Reece James and Cole Palmer, the full back lifted the oddly shaped plate into the air as Trump watched on, looking a bit like a grandma lost in a supermarket.
Trump’s less-than-dignified appearance is not the only trophy emabrassement in football history and here are six presentations that have just felt weird.
Lionel Messi and the Qatari cloak
Before 2022, Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup was a thought many of us had pictured.
There, the greatest player of all time in the iconic blue and white of Argentina, lifting the famous trophy and forever ending the debate of whether he can do it on the international stage.
In December 2022, that image became reality – but it did so not with the blue and white of Argentina on show as Messi was made to wear the traditional Arab cloak bisht to collect the trophy.
Qatar and FIFA’s meddling knew no bounds for that tournament.
As if having migrants die buiding the stadiums, moving the tournament to the winter and being one of the most brazen acts of corruption in the sport was not enough, Infantino allowed this incursion on a seminal moment in football history.
Messi looked confused as the robe was put on him and images of him lifting the trophy will forever be tainted by the most visible act of corruption and sportwashing.
The dictator with the brolly
The 2022 finals was not the first time FIFA had embarrassed themselves when it came to World Cup hosts; Russia were given the tournament four years previously.
The same Russia that would invade a sovereign neighbour four years later and the same one that had already annexed the Crimean Peninsula four years prior to the World Cup.
Still, Vladimir Putin promised a welcome to all football fans and if the tournament did largely pass without controversy, one of the funnier moments came at the presentation of the trophy.
As the heavens opened in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, dignitaries gathered on the stage ready to hand the golden ball to France.
Only one of them had an umbrella and we will let you guess which one.
As the likes of Emmanuel Macron and Infantino got drenched, Putin smiled as someone else held a brolly over his head.
It was an act that did not go unnoticed and if Piers Morgan is morally in the right, then you know something has gone wrong.
Only Putin gets an umbrella. pic.twitter.com/jGX0oGUf4k
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 15, 2018
Blink and you miss it in Brazil
In 2014, Brazil’s 7-1 thumping at the hands of Germany ended the hopes of a home World Cup win, but it was not the first time the famous South American team suffered a home upset.
Back in 1950, it was the fourth edition of the World Cup, the first since the end of World War II, and for Brazil, it was the perfect chance for glory.
The competition was held in Brazil and only once in the previous three editions had the hosts not won. Everything pointed towards a Brazil win, until it didn’t.
In the final at the Maracana, Uruguay scored twice in the second half to win 2-1 in front of 173,850 fans, most of whom were now irate Brazil fans.
Therefore, Uruguay got to hold the Jules Rimet trophy for all of a few seconds as some FIFA briefcase took back the prized possession and hid it in a box before any fights broke out.
John Terry, the full kti w**ker
The greatest night in Chelsea’s history came on May 19, 2012.
After one of the all-time fortunate runs to the final, a Didier Drogba-inspired Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in their own backyard to lift their first Champions League.
The honour of doing that went to John Terry and looking back on images of the trophy lift now, nothing seems out of the ordinary.
Terry, in full kit, lifts the big ears trophy above his head as his team-mates celebrate. The only problem is that he didn’t even play in the final.
The Chelsea skipper was suspended after losing his head and kneeing Alexis Sanchez in the semi-final, but rather than take the Roy Keane and Paul Scholes route of sitting respectfully on the side in a club suit, JT opted to be a full kti w**ker.
Complete with shin pads – yes he really did wear shin pads – the Chelsea captain lifted the trophy and no one ever needs to remember that he missed the most important game of the run.
Terry faced much ridicule, the best of which came from former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan who tweeted: “Can’t wait for John Terry to lift the Ashes next year!”
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Sergio Ramos and the bus
We are big fans of players dropping trophies.
After Arsenal won the 2020 FA Cup, someone forgot to tell club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang that the trophy itself detaches from the base on the bottom.
The Gabonese forward picked up the base from the podium, walked over to his waiting team-mates, then duly watched as the trophy itself went toppling onto the floor.
It’s not just players either. In 2014, Pep Guardiola let the Bundesliga plate slip from his hands which is fair enough considering he had been soaked in beer.
But the best example, without doubt, came in 2011.
Jose Morunho’s Real Madrid had just beaten Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, a rare Madrid trophy lift in a dominant Barca era, and they got the open bus out to celebrate.
As the players were paraded through Madrid city centre, Sergio Ramos took hold of the trophy and danced with it on his head.
Ramos’ grip on the silverware was not as strong as it should be and he duly dropped it off the top desk with the bus running over it.
The dented trophy was later put in the Spanish Football Federation Museum.
#OTD in 2011: Sergio Ramos dropped the Copa Del Rey trophy during the Real Madrid celebration. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/lmSqpMmNwF
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) April 21, 2018
Luis Rubiales’ disgraceful act
Less so a weird moment, but instead one of the most stomach-turning things to happen during a presentation came in 2023 as Spain won the Women’s World Cup.
As the victorious players went up to collect their medals, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales thought it would be appropriate to kiss forward Jenni Hermoso.
The incident caused an international scandal with a huge amount of support for Hermoso.
Rubiales used just about every trick in the book to try and worm his way out of it, from suggesting it was pre-agreed and consensual to saying he was the victim of a witchhunt.
His mother even threatened to go on a hunger strike.
The result was Rubiales resigning and he was convicted of sexual assault in February 2025.
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