The Great Alphonse Davies

The Budumburam refugee camp in Ghana was a refuge for thousands and thousands refugees from Liberia, who fled the bloody civil war that destroyed the country in the 1990s and early 2000s. The squalid conditions of the camp were better than the utter destruction that the Liberians had fled, and many stayed in the camp for years, even decades, trying on the one hand to move somewhere else, or on the other hand to create a new life in Ghana. 

In 2000 a baby was born in the camp’s basic clinic run by UNHCR. The baby’s parents had fled the violence of Monrovia, and had applied for asylum in North America. The little family nevertheless stayed five year at Budumburum before being able to relocate to Canada and start a new life. 

The little boy, Alphonso Davies, would go on to be the youngest player to sign an MLS contract, the youngest player to debut and score on the Canadian national team, and the scorer of Canada’s first World Cup goal ever. He was signed by mighty Bayern Munich where he became the first Canadian to win the Champions League. Widely hailed as one of the best left-backs in the world, Alphonso Davies life started in the most difficult conditions imaginable, but he brought glory to his adopted country.

Countdown

Near my house in Mexico City they recently set up a clock counting down to the opening match of the World Cup, which will take place on June 11th 2026 at the legendary Azteca Stadium.

The stadium is now being refurbished to accommodate this great event as if it were the first time it hosts a great event...

But with this, starts my own countdown, and should perhaps try to relate some of the impressions of living in a country that will host the Mens' Football World Cup for the third time ever, but this time alongside Canada and the United States of America.

Chelsea the World Champions

At least it was not Tottenham that won the very first World Club Cup and went into the history books. It was another London club, namely Chelsea, who just needed one half to secure the title against the favourites from Paris St. Germain. Two splendid strikes from Cole Palmer in the lower right side of the Paris goal and one strike from the new Chelsea revelation Joao Pedro, and the final was decided against a disappointing PSG side that lost with no honour as Joao Neves was shown a red card for a distasteful pulling Cucurella's hair, and as the game ended, instead of congratulating the winners, PSG players entered into an ugly brawl led by manager Luis Enrique.

Extremely disappointed about the Spanish manager and PSG as a whole for contributing to making it into an ugly event.

Probably we will see more of this in the future as honour disappears from football.

In the meantime the Chelsea celebrations were awkward as the US president stood in the midst of the players as they were handed the trophy.

The entire thing was more awkward than historical. A pity for a tournament that I think was an overall success.

The Club World Cup finalists

Unfortunately Fluminense were unable to defeat Chelsea to make it to the Club World Cup. The English side were better, but it is worth noting that the player who scored both splendid Chelsea goals in their 2-0 victory, Joao Pedro, scored them against the team that made him. The 23-year old striker, who scored his first Chelsea goals following his transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion, did not celebrate the goals against his childhood club.

He will be a player to watch next season as Chelsea try to get back to the top of the Premier League.

All this said, Chelsea will have a difficult time in the final where they will face an extraordinary Paris St. Germain side. The Parisians won a memorable Champions League final on June 1st, and in the semifinal against Real Madrid were as deadly: 4-0 against the Spanish giants with two goals by Fabian Ruiz, and Ousmane Dembele and Goncalo Ramos each scoring one. The victory could surely have been bigger, but in the heat and considering the final, Luis Enrique decided to let the foot of the speeder in the second half.

In the midst of this a thought to Kylian Mbappe: the great Frenchman last season changed from PSG to Real Madrid in order to win titles, but since he left PSG has won it all, and Real Madrid has won nothing....

PSG-Chelsea in the final. As everyone says, anything can happen in a final, but it appears likely that this "anything" is tipped heavily in favour of the great Parisians, who will be delighted to be officially crowned as the world's best team. 

Value for money

Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca illustrated European arrogance or ignorance when he had to explain why European sides were not performing in the Club World Cup. According to the Italian it was because European sides play more matches, and said that his own team, Chelsea, had played 63 matches this season, and asked (rhetorically?) how many matches the Brazilian teams had played this season.

"70 matches", was the reply from a Brazilian journalist.

Indeed, the playing calendar of most South American sides is packed with matches in a lot of tournaments because they fight with a problem that European sides, specially Chelsea, don't have: they need money. 

So when Mr. Maresca wants to justify that Brazilian sides are doing well in the Club World Cup he very conveniently ignores that he has a squad of 46 millionaires valued at USD 1 billion, while Fluminense has a squad of 36 players valued at USD 86 Mio. 

Surely the Brazilians under their manager Renato Gaucho are more value for money, and today Fluminense will hopefully again defeat Chelsea and European arrogance.

At least we now know that Chelsea have not studied Fluminense!