Donald Trump was accused of hijacking English soccer club Chelsea’s lifting of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup trophy following its 3–0 victory over France’s Paris Saint-Germain at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium this past weekend.
The president stood directly among the players as Chelsea captain Reece James raised the (replica) trophy, prompting confusion from star player Cole Palmer, who later admitted he “was a bit confused” by Trump’s presence.
But in that image, Trump wasn’t front and center.
Just like in a “Where’s Waldo?” puzzle, he could still be spotted, but tucked into the background.
Some fans, though, still interpreted the selection of that particular photo ― in which Trump had a decidedly lower profile ― as a subtle snub.
“They could have chosen a picture where he was visible in the picture, but they chose not to. We can only applaud,” one person commented on Chelsea’s Instagram post.
20 Years OfFreeJournalism
Your Support Fuels Our Mission
Your Support Fuels Our Mission
For two decades, HuffPost has been fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. Support our mission to keep us around for the next 20 — we can’t do this without you.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
Another suggested the side chose “the picture where he’s the least prevalent and not trying to steal their spotlight.”
On Reddit, meanwhile, a user said it “seems like they just nudged him out of the spotlight rather than a full Photoshop job, kinda fitting for someone who always tries to hog the center.”
Chelsea did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment on the image choice.