“Brutal” - Ex-Barcelona star Marc Bartra sums up Chelsea player after 3-0 win against PSG in Club World Cup final

Former Barcelona star Marc Bartra responded to Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella's Instagram post following the Blues' FIFA Club World Cup success. The Premier League club managed to defeat Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 3-0 in the final of this tournament on Sunday, July 13.

Cole Palmer opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and then doubled his side's lead just eight minutes later. New signing Joao Pedro made it 3-0 two minutes before the break, putting the game out of the French outfit's reach.

Cucurella, who is a key part of the west London outfit's defence, took to Instagram to share the team's glorious moments. He wrote in the caption:

"We did it Blues! Champions of the World!"

Former Barcelona man, Bartra, replied to his fellow countryman's post and wrote:

"Felicitats cucu. Brutal."

Many would have had PSG as favorites for this game following the incredible 2024/25 season that they had. Luis Enrique and Co. won the UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1.

They were also dominant in the Club World Cup, defeating Real Madrid in the semi-final and Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. However, it was Chelsea who triumphed after having won the UEFA Europa Conference League last campaign.

Enzo Maresca points out reason behind Chelsea's success against PSG in Club World Cup final

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has had a good first year at Stamford Bridge after taking over in the summer of 2024. His latest achievement was leading the Blues to win the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup.

More interestingly, he did it against a PSG side that proved dominant in the competition. Speaking about how it was important to be aggressive early on in this match against the French opposition, Maresca said post-match (via BBC Sport):

"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."

"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."

Chelsea also finished fourth in the Premier League standings last campaign, which means that they will be competing in the UEFA Champions League in the season to come. The Blues play their first match of the league season against Crystal Palace on August 17.

About the author

Rahul has been a European football journalist for Sportskeeda since 2023. A B.B.A. L.L.B. graduate, he captained his university football team and also played for Boca Juniors Football School during his initial years, and also coached his university's girls team. He always aims to translate his tactical awareness, knowledge of the sport and first-hand experience into well-researched articles for his readers.

A follower of the beautiful game since 2014, Rahul is an avid Arsenal and a match-going Bengaluru FC fan. His favorite footballer is Mesut Ozil due to his love for nimble-footed playmakers, while his favorite manager is the legendary Arsene Wenger owing to the Frenchman's attractive style of football.

Rahul, whose favorite FIFA World Cup moment is Lionel Messi lifting the trophy in 2022, has interviewed grassroots expert Tom Byer in the past and gained insight into Japanese football. He also believes Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland can rule the footballing world and take Ronaldo and Messi's place.

When he is not writing, Rahul likes to spend his time playing football, following the Indian Super League and watching other sports. He is also a huge cricket fan and supports Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

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Edited by Rahul Naresh