Chelsea’s four Muslim players shined on Saturday, February 12, as their team secured their first Fifa Club World Cup (CWC) after an extra-time win against Brazilian side Palmeiras.
Chelsea’s star players Antonio Rudiger, Malang Sarr, N’Golo Kante and Hakim Ziyech all participated in the final.
“Alhamdulillah ❤️🤲🏾 #AlwaysBelieve,” Antonio Rüdiger wrote on Twitter after the game.
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A day before the game, Chelsea shared a photo of some of its players wearing traditional robes worn by Muslims in some countries after attending prayers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday.
Brothers! 💙 pic.twitter.com/ksza5iomIN
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 11, 2022
The club’s move to embrace the identity of its players was praised by some users on Twitter, as some players had previously faced racism in several incidents.
Masha'Allah Chelsea's Rudiger, Sarr, Kante & Ziyech, who are all Muslims, visited the Shaykh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi as they're in the UAE for the Club World Cup. May Allah bless them, it's great to see greater Muslim presence in mainstream sports❤️ pic.twitter.com/pdnCHUiMUm
— Muslim Hands UK (@muslimhandsuk) February 12, 2022
Many people also shared photos of the four players celebrating after the match.
Kante will win you the ball, and trophies. 😁 pic.twitter.com/BBYy7vMIAE
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 12, 2022
Egypt's Al-Ahly are also the other big CWC winners on the day as they secured back-to-back bronze medals after thrashing Saudi's Al-Hilal 4-0 earlier in the evening.
Bronze medal, golden spirit. 🥉🦅❤️ @AlAhly #ClubWC pic.twitter.com/ldJw5UCJW8
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) February 12, 2022
With this victory, the Egyptian giant has also become the team with the most wins at the competition with 18, breaking the record held by Auckland City FC.