Chelsea defender Levi Colwill says the Club World Cup “will be bigger than the Champions League” in the future.
Colwill, 22, played the full game as Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 during Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Chelsea’s victory came as a surprise against UEFA Champions League winners PSG, who had conceded just one goal at the tournament and had beaten Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-final.
“This performance was amazing and we should get the credit we deserve,” Colwill told reporters after the game.
“It was a statement victory and, in the future, if we keep winning trophies, then everyone will give us the love that we deserve. But we’ll only know that in he future.”
Chelsea’s Club World Cup victory comes after they won the Conference League at the end of May, a trophy which was the first since the BlueCo takeover of the club in 2022 and the first since their Champions League triumph in 2021, which had qualified them for the inaugural edition of the expanded Club World Cup.
“In the future, I think this will be the biggest trophy of all,” Colwill said. “It will be bigger than the Champions League and we were the first team to win it.
“I’ve really enjoyed it, playing games every four or five days. Playing to sold-out stadiums, playing against different teams who you would never normally get a chance to play.
“I might be saying that just because we’re winners now but I really have enjoyed it, and it’s been good.
“This is the biggest tournament I’ve ever won. Going into the game, I was a bit nervous, thinking it was the biggest game I’ve ever played but in years to come I will look back and think what a day it’s been.”
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed to DAZN after the game that his side will go on holiday for three weeks before returning for a pre-season ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. It will be Chelsea’s first season back in the Champions League after a three-year absence as they finished fourth in the Premier League last season during Maresca’s first term at the helm.
Asked if he believed Chelsea will be contenders for the Premier League and Champions League next season, Colwill replied: “Yeah, definitely. I said at the start of this tournament that our plan is to win it and people looked at me as if I was crazy!
“So I’m going to say the exact same thing now going into the Premier League and Champions League. I think we’re ready and we’ll see next season.”
(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
