Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca declared his side’s 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the final of FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup as meaningful as winning the Champions League.

Maresca, who took charge at Chelsea just a year ago, said the new competition deserves to be held in the same regard as Europe’s premier club tournament. “I have the feeling that this competition is going to be as important, if not more important than, the Champions League,” the Italian said after the match, in which his team secured their second trophy of the season following their UEFA Conference League triumph in May.

Maresca was previously part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City when they lifted the Champions League in 2023, but said this latest success was equally significant. “This competition features the best teams in the world and I think we can value it on the same level,” he said.

Chelsea came out strong at the start, scoring all three goals in the first half. Cole Palmer netted twice, while Joao Pedro added a third before halftime. “The message was to let them understand that we were here to win the game and I think in the first 10 minutes we showed them that,” Maresca explained. “That set the tone of the game.”

Palmer, named player of the match, continued his standout year by scoring a brace and assisting the third goal. The 23-year-old has become one of the tournament`s breakout stars, even appearing on billboards across New York alongside global icons like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.

“To score the goals was a great feeling, as was the way the team showed fire out there — the gaffer’s game plan was spot on,” said Palmer. “I’ve seen the billboards in Times Square and outside Madison Square Garden, and it is obviously a nice feeling to be alongside those players.”

The win means Chelsea will wear the Club World Cup winners’ badge on their shirts for the next four years, a fact Maresca said was a “source of pride” for the club and its supporters.