- Real Madrid facing Kashima Antlers in Sunday’s FIFA Club World Cup final (11:30CET kick-off)
- Zidane says Yokohama game is “of the utmost importance”
- Madrid missing only injured Gareth Bale
- European sides have won their last seven Club World Cup games without conceding
- Kashima Antlers, repesenting hosts Japan, the first Asian side to make it to the final
Zinédine Zidane, Real Madrid coach
This competition is of the utmost importance to us. We’ve come to Japan to try and win it and we’re going to do our best. We’ll need to play good football, do what we know. It will be a difficult game; Kashima make it difficult for us, but we’re ready. Maybe in the first game we weren’t our usual selves because of the travel, the adaptation to new training, the pitch. The [2-0 semi-final win] against AmĂ©rica was tough, but we’re ready to play the final.
Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid captain
Whenever there’s a chance of winning a title it’s a new experience and despite having won a lot I reset every year and start from scratch. As skipper it would be me lifting the trophy and that’s something I’m very proud of. It’s a dream every time I imagine myself hoisting up a trophy. After coming all this way we want to win the trophy
Possible line-up: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modrić, Kroos; Vázquez, Benzema, Ronaldo
Out: Bale (ankle)
Kashima Antlers players with European experience
• FabrĂcio (MF, BRA): Portimonense (POR, 2011–)
• Mu Kanazaki (MF, JPN): Nürnberg (GER, 2013), Portimonense (POR, 2013–16)
• Mitsuo Ogasawara (MF, JPN): Messina (ITA, 2006–07)
Club World Cup facts
• The top scorers for European clubs in the Club World Cup are both Barcelona players – Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi with five goals each.
• Suárez is the only player to have hit a hat-trick for a European side at the finals, against China’s Guangzhou Evergrande in the 2015 semi-finals.
• Messi is the only player to have scored at three Club World Cups – the 2009, 2011 and 2015 editions. Just two other players – Karim Benzema (2014, 2016) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2016) – have netted for a European team at more than one Club World Cup. Isco and Sergio Ramos could join that elite band with a goal in Sunday’s final.
• Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player to have found the target in a Club World Cup for more than one European side – Manchester United in 2008 and Real Madrid this time out. He is also the only player to have lifted this trophy with two different clubs: United in 2008 and Madrid in 2014.
• Barcelona are the only team to have won the competition more than once, triumphing in 2009, 2011 and 2015. Four Barcelona men played in all three of those finals: Dani Alves, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi.
• A European side has featured in the final of all but one of the 11 editions of the Club World Cup, Corinthians beating fellow Brazilians Vasco da Gama on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Rio de Janeiro in that initial 2000 decider.
• In that tournament, Manchester United (eliminated in the group stage) and Real Madrid (defeated on penalties in the semi-finals) became the first – and so far only – European representatives to fail to reach a Club World Cup decider.
• After that inaugural edition, the Club World Cup did not take place again until 2005, with the competition then replacing the European/South American Cup – last contested in 2004 – in the UEFA club calendar.
• European teams at the finals have won their last seven games without conceding since Chelsea lost 1-0 to Corinthians in the 2012 final.
• That Chelsea reversal is the sole defeat for a European side in their last 19 fixtures in the competition. Barcelona were drawing 1-1 with Estudiantes after 90 minutes in the 2009 final, but went on to prevail 2-1 in extra time.
• European clubs’ overall record in 29 Club World Cup games is W22 D3 L4.
Club World Cup winners by nation
4: Brazil, Spain
2: Italy
1: England, Germany
Most successes for a European side at a Club World Cup
3: Barcelona (2009, 2011, 2015)
1: AC Milan (2007), Bayern MĂĽnchen (2013), Internazionale Milano (2010), Manchester United (2008), Real Madrid (2014)
Most European Club World Cup goals by team
23: Barcelona
17: Real Madrid
10: Manchester United
6: Internazionale Milano
5: Bayern MĂĽnchen
5: AC Milan
3: Chelsea
3: Liverpool
European sides’ Club World Cup scorers
5: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Luis Suárez (Barcelona)
3: Nicolas Anelka (Real Madrid), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
2: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Quinton Fortune (Manchester United), RaĂşl González (Real Madrid), Filippo Inzaghi (AC Milan), Seydou Keita (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Pedro RodrĂguez (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Real Madrid)
1: Adriano (Barcelona), Jonathan Biabiany (Internazionale), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Nicky Butt (Manchester United), Dante (Bayern MĂĽnchen), Deco (Barcelona), Samuel Eto’o (Internazionale), Cesc FĂ bregas (Barcelona), Darren Fletcher (Manchester United), Geremi (Real Madrid), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Mario Götze (Bayern MĂĽnchen), Eidur GudjĂłnsen (Barcelona), Xavi Hernández (Barcelona), Fernando Hierro (Real Madrid), Isco (Real Madrid), Kaká (AC Milan), Mario MandĹľukić (Bayern MĂĽnchen), Rafael Márquez (Barcelona), Juan Mata (Chelsea), Maxwell (Barcelona), Diego Milito (Internazionale), Fernando Morientes (Real Madrid), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan), Goran Pandev (Internazionale), Franck RibĂ©ry (Bayern MĂĽnchen), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Sávio (Real Madrid), Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan), Dejan Stanković (Internazionale), Thiago Alcántara (Bayern MĂĽnchen), Fernando Torres (Chelsea), Nemanja Vidić (Manchester United), Dwight Yorke (Manchester United), Javier Zanetti (Internazionale), own goal (Chelsea)
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