EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea legend Claude Makelele was a metronomic midfielder in the Premier League but a left-field career change will now see him judge Miss Universe 2025
10:58, 06 Nov 2025Updated 10:59, 06 Nov 2025
Claude Makelele attends the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final First Leg match between Arsenal FC and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Emirates Stadium on April 29, 2025 in London, England.
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Claude Makelele is set to judge the Miss Universe beauty pageant(Image: Getty Images)
A Premier League icon has explained his left-field career change by telling Daily Star Sport he "loves to see beautiful women".
Claude Makelele is a hero at Stamford Bridge for his extraordinary exploits in winning two league titles as the lynchpin of Jose Mourinho's first great Chelsea team. But few could have predicted the metronomic midfielder would find his calling in judging beauty pageants - despite the fact many would argue his judgment on the pitch was on a par with anyone on the planet.
Either way, the 53-year-old, who won the Champions League with Real Madrid, made 144 appearances for the Blues and was a World Cup runner-up with France, will now be partly responsible for deciding who is crowned the latest winner of the international honour Miss Universe in Thailand.
And Makelele, who was speaking on behalf of bet365, the official global partner of the UEFA Champions League, has now explained how the shock move came about and why he's the ideal pick for a job that millions of men surely dream of being selected for.
He said: "I think in life you need to have many experiences and my people who work with me presented me with this kind of opportunity.
Miss Universe
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Miss Universe will take place later this month(Image: Getty Images)
"So why not? We all come from ladies, we were born from ladies. We also have a family, we have a wife and we have a girlfriend.
"Yes, the women in general are beautiful women. We love to see beautiful women, it's normal.
"It will be my first experience, so I thought why not?"
Claude Makalele is a Chelsea icon
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Claude Makalele is a Chelsea icon(Image: GETTY )
Denmark, Victoria Kjær Theilvig, is crowned as Miss Universe 2024 in The 73rd Miss Universe Competition - show at Arena Ciudad de Mexico on November 16, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico.
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Victoria Theilvig won the Miss Universe title last year(Image: Getty Images)
Miss Universe 2025 will be announced on Friday, November 21 at the Impact Challenger Hall in Pak Kret. Denmark's Victoria Theilvig is the current holder of the award after she beat out the competition in Mexico City last year.
Victoria, herself, will crown her successor in Thailand after spending the past 12 months as Miss Universe.
And, in that time, she's been enjoying all the benefits that come with the title. Winning Miss Universe comes with a £190,000 salary for the single-year reign, as well as luxury accommodation and use of a prestigious New York City apartment.
Miss Thailand Anntonia Porsild walks onstage during the 72nd Miss Universe Competition at Gimnasio Nacional José Adolfo Pineda on November 18, 2023 in San Salvador, El Salvador.
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Miss Universe has had guest judges in the past(Image: Getty Images)
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Winners also receive all-expenses paid international travel while making public appearances.
Makelele won't be the first guest judge to grace the competition, with Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler and supermodel Adriana Lima among those to have accepted the honour in the past.
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However, former midfield general Makelele might just be the most curious appointment to date.