The real explanation as to what happened to Noni Madueke's FIFA Club World Cup medal has been revealed amid speculation that it was taken by President Donald Trump. Madueke was part of the Chelsea squad that travelled to the United States for the summer tournament, but he was absent for the final after being given permission to travel back to the UK ahead of a proposed move to Arsenal.
The Blues fared perfectly fine without him, trouncing PSG in the New Jersey heat and being gifted the trophy by Trump, who subsequently refused to leave the stage for the ensuing celebrations. Footage later emerged online showing the president taking a winners' medal for himself, with some speculating and joking that it would have otherwise belonged to Madueke. However, the truth of its location has now been detailed.
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According to a report from the Daily Mail, despite the theory that Trump had pocketed Madueke's medal, that has appeared not to be the case and that the England international can expect to see his medal delivered to him in the post. It has led many to joke on social media that he could in fact show it to his new teammates at Arsenal, with the Gunners going trophyless over the last five years despite their resurgence up the Premier League table.
Having been allowed to travel back home for his medical at Arsenal, it turned out that Madueke hadn't even paid any attention to the final at all, with his priorities seemingly lying elsewhere. The 23-year-old was spotted alongside former teammates Jadon Sancho and Carney Chukuwameka at Wireless festival enjoying a performance by Drake at the same time the final across the pond was taking place.
It also meant that the Englishman missed out on what was said to be a wild night of celebrating from the Chelsea boys after their incredibly long 2024/25 campaign finally drew to a close.
Fan support for Madueke has waned in recent months, with Chelsea supporters growing frustrated with the winger. To make matters worse, Arsenal fans even started a petition to get the club to pull out of the deal to sign the former PSV man, who is expected to take the number 10 shirt when his deal is officially completed.
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All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate as of 15/07/2025.