10 Amazing Club World Cup Moments
The Club World Cup has returned once again as continental giants from across the world have convened on Morocco.
This week, Real Madrid will meet Cruz Azul in one semi-final, while Auckland City and San Lorenzo clash in the other. The winners will contest the final at the Stade de Marrakech on Saturday.
Already, this year’s competition has already produced a fairytale as the New Zealanders of Auckland City have ousted both the hosts and Moroccan champions, Moghreb Tetouan, as well as Africa’s champions ES Setif.
In this feature, we look back over the tournament’s history and present, in no particular order, the 10 most amazing moments in the Club World Cup to date.
Aboutrika's Finest Hour
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Writing for The Times, Gabriele Marcotti once questioned whether Mohamed Aboutrika was the greatest player never to feature in Europe or South America.
While the elegant Egyptian playmaker never played in a World Cup, he has featured in a joint-record 11 Club World Cup matches.
His personal pinnacle surely came at the 2006 tournament in Japan when he was the tournament top scorer.
He was particularly influential in the third-place play-off against Mexican giants America, when he scored twice, including a late winner, to seal the bronze gong for Al-Ahly.
Iajour: Morocco’s Darling
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FIFA describe Mouhcine Iajour as a player “with whom the whole of Africa can identify.”
This may be overselling things slightly, but the striker certainly etched his name into Cup of Nations history with a superb showing in 2013.
Iajour was the joint-top scorer as Raja Casablanca completed an unlikely run to the final in front of their own fans.
The forward opened the scoring 39 minutes into the quarter-final play-off against Auckland City, before striking again in the semi-final.
Few expected the Green Eagles to advance past Atletico Mineiro, however, even though Iajour’s goal was cancelled out by Ronaldinho, the home side secured a unforgettable triumph with two goals in the last 10 minutes.
Kidiaba's Celebrations
3 of 10In 2010, TP Mazembe became the tournament darlings with a stunning run to the final.
The Congolese giants were ultimately outclassed by Internazionale, but it wasn’t before they picked up memorable victories over Pachuca and Internacional.
The defining image of the tournament was Robert Kidiaba’s celebration.
The maverick keeper celebrated each of the Ravens’ goals with an imitable buttocks dance, a visual that almost eclipsed Mazembe’s achievement of becoming the first-ever African side in the final.
The 37-year-old stopper is still going strong, although he has revealed that he will be retiring from international football after the upcoming Cup of Nations.
Tune into that event…just in case Kidiaba has cause for celebration!
Barca Stunned by Internacional
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Barcelona under Frank Rijkaard weren’t quite as iconic as Pep Guardiola’s magnificent side, but they still ought to be remembered as one of the finest outfits in European football over the last 20 years.
The likes of Ronaldinho, Carles Puyol, Deco, Xavi and Andre Iniesta strolled past America of Mexico to seal their place in the final against Internacional.
It felt as though Barca threw everything at the Brazilians as they sought an opener, but Internacional remained resilient.
Ultimately, it wasn’t pretty, but an Adriano goal in the final 10 minutes secured a smash-and-grab victory, stunning Rijkaard and his all-star side.
Edilson vs. Karembeu
5 of 10There are few goals in the history of the tournament (if any) which can quite match Edilson’s effort in the inaugural event.
Back when the tournament still incorporated group stages, Corinthians played out a thrilling 2-2 draw with Real Madrid.
Nicolas Anelka scored a brace for a side containing the likes of Raul, Roberto Carlos, Steve McManaman and Fernando Redondo, while Edilson bagged two of his own for the Brazilians.
The Sao Paulo-based club would go on to lift the trophy, although none of their subsequent moments quite eclipsed the World Cup winner’s stunning solo effort against Los Merengues.
It’s not one that Christian Karembeu will remember too fondly!
Neymar Meets Messi
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Barcelona’s final against Santos was as much about the meeting of two men as the meeting of two clubs.
On different sides of the Atlantic, Lionel Messi and Neymar had been devastating the competition, but now they had the chance to go head-to-head.
It was a match-up that captured the global attention and brought back memories of Pele’s memorable rendezvous with Eusebio back in the 1960s. Alan Gardner, of The Guardian, cheekily described it as “Neymar, Messi and 21 other blokes.”
Ultimately, the match was a bit of a damp squib as Barca crushed their South American counterparts 4-0. Messi found the net twice, while the great pretender was fairly anonymous.
Nowadays, the pair occupy the same turf weekly, and one suspects that Neymar isn’t keen to be reminded of that memorable meeting in Yokohama.
Pedro's Breakthrough
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Stars can also be born at the Club World Cup.
Pedro may now be a household name and one of the most decorated players of his generation, but it wasn’t always the case.
Back in 2009, he was a scrawny forward, struggling to shake off an unwanted nickname and finding it hard to break into the Barcelona first team under Pep Guardiola.
Arguably, his breakthrough moment came in the final against Estudiantes.
Trailing 1-0 with only minutes on the clock, Pedro saw his opportunity and profited from a Carles Puyol deflection to head home.
Lionel Messi went on to score the winner in extra time, and Barca had their sixth piece of silverware of the season.
Pedro became the first-ever player to score in six different club competitions in the space of one season and one calendar year.
He hasn’t looked back.
Ceni’s Semi-Final Goal
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Rogerio Ceni has never been a goalkeeper to shirk the headlines.
The former Brazil international has scored more than 100 goals in his career, but few have been more memorable than his semi-final effort against Al-Ittihad in the 2005 semi-final.
The stopper stepped up in the 57th minute to fire home from the penalty spot and give Sao Paulo a 3-1 lead over the Saudi side.
Al-Ittihad would ultimately fight back, through Hamad Al Montashari, but he could do little more than ensure a frantic finish, as his side were ultimately unable to find an equaliser.
In finding the net, Ceni became the first goalkeeper to score in the competition.
His contributions in 2005 were, however, not yet finished…
Ceni Thwarts Liverpool
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Rafael Benitez’s Champions League-winning side were a memorable, rather than a vintage generation.
They were, however, favourites heading into their 2005 Club World Cup final against Sao Paulo.
True to the form books, Liverpool dominated the contest and, according to Benitez, speaking to FIFA, gave everything they had: “We had 21 shots on goal. What else could we have done?”
Rogerio Ceni was instrumental in keeping the likes of Steven Gerrard, Peter Crouch and Xabi Alonso at bay and kept a clean sheet in a match-winning performance.
The Reds were unable to respond to Mineiro’s 27th-minute goal, with Ceni claiming afterwards, also via FIFA: “It was one of the greatest games of my career.”
Corinthians vs. Chelsea
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South American expert Tim Vickery, writing with BBC Sport, had the following to say about Corinthians’ final victory over Chelsea in 2012.
"Sunday was an excellent day for the Club World Cup, perhaps the best in the competition's short history. Corinthians against Chelsea could probably not be classed as a truly great game but it was a good one - and the most balanced since 2005, when the tournament was relaunched on an annual basis.
"
Not only did the Brazilian heavyweights go toe-to-toe with Rafael Benitez’s side, who had won the Champions League only six months previously, but they also managed to secure the title following Paolo Guerrero’s second-half winner.
The Corinthians fans in attendance ensured that the spectacle and the drama of the moment would spill onto the terraces, but they rejoiced into exuberant celebration as the victory edged closer.
