While you might have been snoozing off a Saturday night pre-Christmas eggnog binge, Manchester United were winning the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan via a 1-0 win over Ecuador's Liga de Quito. Wayne Rooney scored the lone goal of the match and earned tournament MVP honors, which netted him a giant trophy in the shape of a key from sponsor Toyota. United won while playing the final 41 minutes down a man.
The win officially gives Sir Alex Ferguson's club the title of "Best Club in the World," not that many would quibble with that fact considering United won both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
It's hard to say what to make of the Club World Cup. In theory -- as Homer Simpson said about communism -- it sounds like a good idea ... in theory. Pitting the champions of the seven FIFA Associations and having them duke it out in Japan to decide the who the best in the world is sounds like a perfectly cromulent idea. (Sorry for dual 'Simpsons' references.)
For whatever the reason, like Talladega Nights, the execution of something that sounds like an absolute slam dunk on paper instead meanders into the "meh" zone. The timing of the event, plus the fact it's played in Japan, makes it mostly an afterthought to most followers of the game.
Yeah, it's nice for United and its supporters to add another trophy into an already over-flowing case. I'd wager a guess that those supporters, and Sir Alex himself, aren't too thrilled to have to fly back to England from Japan and then play a league match with Stoke City on Friday and Middlesbrough Monday due to the packed holiday slate of matches.
Video of Rooney's goal after the jump.
Manchester United Officially World's Best originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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