In the midst of the closing ceremony of the FIFA Club World Cup, U.S. President Donald Trump took advantage of an interview at MetLife Stadium to express his admiration for Brazilian soccer legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, whom he called the “GOAT” (Greatest Of All Time).
During a conversation with sports channel DAZN, Trump was asked about his favorite soccer player in history, and his answer was clear: “I’ll probably go with classic. It’s like saying Babe Ruth in baseball, but I would say Pele was great.”
Trump picks Pelé as the GOAT
Donald Trump correctly names Pelé as the Greatest Footballer Of All Time 🐐 pic.twitter.com/D9EwUFuKEH
– All Things Brazil™ 🇧🇷 (@SelecaoTalk) July 13, 2025
The 79-year-old Republican president recalled that he saw Pelé play live during his historic stint with the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the forerunner of today’s Major League Soccer (MLS).
Pelé played in the United States between 1975 and 1977, and his presence was key to the development of soccer in the country.
“I don’t want to reveal my age – he’s 79 – but it was a long time ago, when I was a young boy, and I came to see Pelé, and it was fantastic,” Trump added.
A ceremony with lights, soccer and politics
Trump made these remarks during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final, held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The event pitted England’s Chelsea against France’s Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea won with a resounding 3-0 victory, with goals from Cole Palmer (2) and Joao Pedro, to be crowned champions of the first Club World Cup to be extended to 32 teams.
Trump comes down to the playing field
Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, the President watched the match from the official box, alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Both went down to the pitch after the final whistle to present the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James, as well as medals to both the champions and runners-up.
In an unusual gesture, Trump did not leave immediately after the ceremony, as usual protocol dictates.
Instead, he stayed on the field during the celebration and took pictures with the players.
This gave rise to a scene that combined politics, sport and spectacle in one of the most emblematic stadiums in the United States.
Applause, boos and sound control
Buzzy
Trump’s presence at the stadium generated divided reactions among attendees.
According to the White House press pool, the president was booed on at least three occasions during the trophy presentation.
He also received applause, although part of the sound was mitigated by the stadium’s background music, as is usually done in massive events to prevent political demonstrations from being heard from the stands.
I'll probably go with classic. It's like saying Babe Ruth in baseball, but I would say Pele was great
