the 10 stars of the competition!

This is the competition that will shake up our start to summer, the one that will get football fans talking but also detractors of this tournament which will extend the season. From June 14 to July 13, 2025, 32 will participate in the tournament which will take place in the United States. Among them, big names from the old continent like Manchester City, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, but also legendary South American teams, Boca Juniors, River Plate or Palmeiras, as well as clubs from Africa and Oceania. and Asia. Before diving into this competition, this is the opportunity to take stock of the 10 players who will inevitably make it even more attractive!

Kylian Mbappé (FRA, Real Madrid)

For his first year in the Spanish capital, the French international wants to conquer everything. He has already won two continental trophies, with the European Super Cup in August and the Intercontinental Cup in December. By then, he also hopes to be able to lift La Liga and the Champions League. But this competition will necessarily be at the heart of its objectives in a year without Euro or World Cup. “My next goal is to lift everything (smile). You don’t have to make a choice“, he said during the Ballon d’Or ceremony in 2018 after winning the World Cup. Winning everything, the Club World Cup, therefore. The competing clubs are warned. The Kyks will not let the others eat and Real Madrid, from the top of its 15 Champions League, will inevitably act as the big favorite.

Erling Haaland (NOR, Manchester City)

It goes to show that Erling Haaland is not only programmed to win everything. While he won everything during his first season with Manchester City, the Norwegian has since displayed certain flaws on the pitch and in the game. Enough to legitimize the fact that he is a human, yet still as thirsty for the conquest of the trophies. And while the Citizens have almost said goodbye to the Premier League title after four consecutive coronations, and their presence in the Champions League play-offs is not even guaranteed at the time of writing these lines, the possibility of going for a major tournament is bound to seduce him in his quest, too, for the Ballon d’Or!

Jamal Musiala (ALL, Bayern Munich)

Few players in Europe give fans so much thrill when they have the ball between their feet. Jamal Musiala is one of those men whose every action brings the crowd to its feet, and in a tournament bringing together the biggest names in football, and Bayern Munich understands this well. Since the start of the season, and like his predecessors, Vincent Kompany has made himself one of the strong men in his group. The virtuoso was already very close to reaching the Champions League final last year, but the magic of Bernabeu decided otherwise. This year, with already a good lead in the Bundesliga, he will be able to concentrate on the C1 and his new American dream to settle on the roof of the world, before aiming for the same thing in the summer of 2026 with his selection, always in the United States.

Lionel Messi (ARG, Inter Miami)

Can Lionel Messi still win a new trophy? While he simply finished the game by winning the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, the number 10 of Inter Miami doesn’t have much left to win on the pitch. But this competition, as new as it is, will be an opportunity for him to bring a new cup to his trophy cabinet which is already overflowing with rewards. In addition, it will be an opportunity for him to meet his former club Paris Saint-Germain, but also to face some of his favorite victims, such as Real Madrid. Above all, with a favorable draw on paper in the groups, the Americans, far from being among the leaders of this edition, can still aim to secure a place for the direct elimination phases. Where the lords look directly into each other’s eyes.

Cole Palmer

Walking on the Premier League is good, walking on the world is better. Dazzling with Chelsea for a year and a half, Cole Palmer has not yet had the opportunity to rub shoulders with the European elite with his club, the fault of disappointing results which did not allow the Blues to qualify for the Champions League. Champions. This competition will be an opportunity for him to look straight into the eyes of the toughest teams on the old continent. And at the rate at which he is scoring goals in England, everything suggests that he will be one of the attractions in the American heat of the summer of 2025. Enough to repeat his “Cold” Palmer celebration again and again!

Neymar (BRE, Al Hilal)

Will play, will not play? Victim of a cruciate ligament rupture, the Brazilian returned to the green rectangle after a while, but suffered a muscular relapse on his second appearance. For the moment, no return date has been specified, but he should logically quickly find the green rectangle. If he is present, his magic will inevitably be awaited, because the Brazilian, at the age of 32, still has many great things to offer. However, there is no guarantee at the moment that we will be able to count on him while his club Al Hilal finds itself in the Real Madrid group, a club against which he experienced great joys with Barça, and great struggles with Paris Saint-Germain. The opportunity to come full circle.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (GEO, Paris Saint-Germain)

After having boiled Vesuvius under the colors of Naples, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hopes to capsize the Parc des Princes. A flagship recruit of the winter, the Georgian is expected to turn the corner in the capital while Luis Enrique’s offensive sector offered few guarantees, but also few thrills to the fans. His rides in the left lane of Naples made him one of the most attractive players on the old continent. And while the Parisians’ European season is currently on a dotted line, the possibility of shining during the Club World Cup could allow them to quickly win over their new supporters.

Antoine Griezmann (FRA, Atlético Madrid)

Antoine Griezmann will perhaps experience a summer like no other. With Atlético Madrid, of which he is the top scorer in history, he could make a sort of farewell tour to the United States, because his name is insistently mentioned to settle down… in MLS! The opportunity for him to discover the American lawns that he fantasizes about so much, as his attraction to US sports shows. If he never managed to win the Champions League or the Liga with the Colchoneros, he had to settle for the Europa League in 2018, “Grizou” has the opportunity to end his story with the Madrilenians by offering a world title. On paper, it looks great!

Estêvão (BRE, Palmeiras)

In Brazil, his name is already on everyone’s lips and he intends to do the same when he arrives at Chelsea this summer when the Blues have already broken the bank to secure his services for 40 million euros . While he still plays under the colors of his training club Palmeiras, Estevao will be keen to prove that he is not just a fiery young Brazilian who only entertains on YouTube compilations. It will also be an opportunity for him to say goodbye to his team in a tournament through which he will cross paths with a certain Lionel Messi, 20 years his senior, in the group stage.

Franco Mastantuono (ARG, River Plate)

Still little-known in Europe, Franco Mastantuono is nevertheless in the sights of all the big names of the old continent. The reason? His devastating dribbles, his finesse with the ball in a championship often marked by a few defenders having taken butchery lessons, distinguished him from others of his generation. Real Madrid, AC Milan and even Barça received the same messages from the scouts present on site: they must not delay in signing him. And if some are still hesitant, this Club World Cup will give him the opportunity to prove that he is capable of repeating that against the biggest teams on the old continent.

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