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Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Robbie Williams sings his heart out with Italian singer Laura Pausini at FIFA Club World Cup while Coldplay and Doja Cat also perform in halftime show
Robbie Williams belted out the new Official FIFA Anthem, Desire, alongside Italian singer Laura Pausini at FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final on Sunday. The Take That icon, 51, wrote and recorded the high-energy track ahead of the final, after he was confirmed as FIFA's Music Ambassador. Coldplay and Doja Cat also performed a jaw-dropping performance during the halftime show. Chelsea secured a surprise 3-0 win against PSG, with Cole Palmer scoring a brace while Joao Pedro was also on target. Trump watched the game alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino and then took centre stage when the trophy was given to Chelsea. Co-written with long-time collaborators Karl Brazil and Owen Parker, alongside Erik Jan Grob, Robbie's track made its debut in the opening show. In a major move for FIFA, Desire will be used across all future tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and beyond. For the first time ever, the new anthem will play as teams walk onto the pitch at every FIFA match worldwide. Described as a stadium-ready anthem packed with emotional energy, the song aims to capture the intensity, pride and unity that defines football on the global stage. In his new ambassador role, Robbie has also invited iconic Italian singer Laura to feature on the track. Speaking about the role, Robbie said: 'Music and football bring people together like nothing else - each with their own universal language of connection, emotion, spirit and community. 'When those worlds come together, there's nothing like it, and I'm beyond honoured to be the FIFA Music Ambassador. 'Football and music have both been part of my life for as long as I can remember, so this means a lot to me on a personal level.' On the inspiration behind Desire, he added: 'I've grown up watching the walk-outs, the anthems, the drama. So writing and recording the official FIFA anthem is a real privilege. 'I wanted to create something that captures all of it - the passion, the nerves, the pride and the majesty of that feeling just before kick-off. He continued: 'Football and music have always meant the world to me, and bringing them together on this kind of stage gives me goosebumps. 'I know I'll get to perform this song at some of my favourite tournaments in the coming years, which fills me with excitement. 'It's a real honour that Laura Pausini accepted my invitation to feature on the song – she's an incredible artist with the perfect voice.' Laura Pausini said: 'It's an honour for me to be invited to join Robbie Williams and be featured on the song DESIRE, written by Robbie. 'The song is amazing, really touching. It's a dream to be with him for The FIFA Club World Cup. 'Since I was a little girl growing up in Italy I remember the thrill and passion for football in my home country. 'To be able to perform live with Robbie Williams in front of passionate football fans and to be heard by music fans around the world will be truly amazing.'
The Guardian
42 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Liverpool and Preston players and fans remember ‘champion' Diogo Jota
The first rendition of 'Oh, his name is Diogo' came 20 minutes before kick-off and, 20 minutes into Liverpool's first game since the tragic deaths of Diogo Jota and André Silva, the entire crowd at Preston's Deepdale stadium stood to honour their memory. Mohamed Salah was visibly moved by the ovation for his club's 'Forever 20'. It was the aftermath of a poignant and important afternoon for Liverpool that left the deepest impression, however. For seven minutes after the pre‑season friendly, staged 10 days after the brothers were killed in a car accident in north‑western Spain, Liverpool fans in the Bill Shankly Stand sang Jota's name on repeat. And for those seven minutes Liverpool's players, coaches and backroom staff stood facing their fans and clapped in unison with the tribute. The connection and the release, if only brief and only temporary, vindicated Liverpool's decision to get back to work and play. Deepdale delivered thoughtful tributes throughout Liverpool's 3-1 win. Preston's captain, Ben Whiteman, walked out alone before kick-off carrying a wreath he laid in front of the away fans, while You'll Never Walk Alone was sung beautifully and an image of Jota and Silva from their Porto days filled the giant screen. Understandably, Liverpool did not conduct any pre- or post-match interviews but Arne Slot spoke movingly to the club's in-house media before the game. The head coach spoke of finding comfort in the fact that Jota 'in the last month of his life, he was a champion in everything' – with Liverpool, Portugal and his young family, having married Rute Cardoso 11 days before his death. Slot added that the support Liverpool have received not only from their own fans but from Everton, from around the country and across the world meant that 'to represent this club in this city now even means more to me and to my wife than it did before'. Slot's take on the friendly itself was powerful. His message could also apply to what lies ahead for Liverpool in what is certain to be the most trying of seasons. Should Jota's grieving teammates retain their Premier League title it will rank as a truly extraordinary achievement, along with a fitting and emotional tribute. And if they don't, well, it will not really matter. 'Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened,' said Slot. 'But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not. What I've said to the players, I can say it here as well. It's very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate. What is appropriate in our actions? What is appropriate [for] what we have to say? Can we train again? Can we laugh again? Can we be angry if there's a wrong decision? 'I've said to them, maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was. And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself, it didn't matter if he was talking to me, to his teammates, to the staff, he was always himself. So let us try to be ourselves as well. So, if we want to laugh we laugh; if we want to cry we're going to cry. If they want to train they can train, if they don't want to train they can not train. But be yourself, don't think you have to be different than your emotions tell you.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Salah's reaction to the 20th minute ovation for Jota, putting his hands to his face and shaking his head as the crowd rose around him, reinforced Slot's point. So too did Darwin Núñez's response to scoring Liverpool's second goal. Having capitalised on a weak back-pass to round Preston's goalkeeper, Daniel Iversen, the Uruguay international re-enacted two of Jota's goal celebrations – the 'Baby Shark' he performed for his children after scoring against Everton and the 'gamer' celebration that has now become a tribute to him from footballers all over the world. Cody Gakpo also did the shark celebration after completing Liverpool's win. The goal meant much more to Núñez than it would in normal circumstances and he pointed to the heavens after his Jota‑inspired celebrations. It was a small cathartic moment in keeping with the entire occasion for Liverpool.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Maresca hails Palmer's big-game brilliance after Club World Cup triumph
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, July 13 (Reuters) - Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca praised Cole Palmer's ability to rise to the occasion after the English attacking midfielder was named Club World Cup player of the tournament following their commanding 3-0 victory over Paris St Germain in Sunday's final. "These are the games we expect Cole Palmer to appear and once again he showed what he is made of," Maresca told a press conference after Palmer scored twice and provided an assist to Joao Pedro in their title-winning performance against the Champions League winners. Maresca revealed his tactical masterplan had worked to perfection, with Chelsea pressing PSG high and exploiting direct plays behind their rivals' defense to devastating effect. "The idea was go man-to-man because if you leave spaces to PSG they will kill you, so we tried to be very aggressive and suffocate them early on and that intensity was crucial in the first 10 minutes due to the scorching heat, that was really difficult conditions to play as the game progresses," Maresca explained. The Italian coach highlighted how his team had successfully targeted PSG's vulnerable flank, adding: "We had a lot of success exploring the left side of their defence, things worked perfectly for us due to the effort the players put." Maresca praised his players for deploying perfectly the gameplan he had in mind, with their high-intensity approach proving decisive in the sweltering New Jersey conditions, saying that he is delighted to win a Club World Cup he thinks will be seen much differently in the future. "I feel that this competition [the Club World Cup] will be as important as or even more important than the Champions League," Maresca said. "I was lucky enough to be part of a coaching staff [at Manchester City] that won the Champions League three years ago, but this competition [the Club World Cup] features the best clubs in the world. That's why we value it as much as the Champions League, or perhaps even more. For us, it was a great triumph. Allowing Chelsea fans to wear that world champion patch on their shirts is a source of pride for us."
