All the statistics from the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 in Saudi Arabia
Julian Alvarez, Karim Benzema, Hussein Elshahat, Fabio, Pep Guardiola and Mateo Kovacic feature as FIFA uncovered the statistics at the Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023.
Fabio, 43, became the oldest player to play in a final and the second-oldest to appear in the competition after Oscar Perez, who kept goal for Pachuca against Gremio in the UAE 2017 semi-finals at the age of 44. Forty-year-old Felipe Melo, for his part, became the oldest outfield player to appear in the FIFA Club World Cup™. The Fluminense veterans were even older than two Saudi Arabia 2023 coaches: Nicolas Larcamon of Leon and Auckland City’s Albert Riera.
40
Julian Alvarez scored the fastest goal in Club World Cup history after only 40 seconds against Fluminense. It was 45 seconds than the previous quickest, scored by Mohamed Ahmed for Al Ain against Esperance in 2018.
25
Three appearances in Saudi Arabia made Al Ahly the first team to play a quarter-century of matches in the Club World Cup. The Red Devils’ seven goals in Jeddah took them on to 31 overall, shy only of Real Madrid (40).
15
Hussein Elshahat became the first player to make 15 appearances in the tournament. His Al Ahly team-mates Mohamed Hany and Mohamed Taher moved into joint-second on 13 apiece.
13
Players from 13 different nations were on the score-sheet – the third-most after UAE 2018 (14) and Brazil 2000 (15). They were Argentina (Julian Alvarez), Brazil (John Kennedy, Romarinho), Colombia (Jhon Arias), Croatia (Mateo Kovacic), Denmark (Alexander Scholz), Egypt (Emam Ashour, Hussein Elshahat, Yasser Ibrahim), England (Phil Foden), France (Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante), Guinea (Jose Kante), the Netherlands (Alex Schalk), Portugal (Bernardo Silva), South Africa (Percy Tau) and Tunisia (Ali Maaloul). Incredibly, there were fewer goals scored at Qatar 2020 (12) than they were nationality of scorers at Saudi Arabia 2023.
10
Fluminense ensured Brazilian clubs regained the outright lead from Spanish ones for appearances in the final. Corinthians have run out in two deciders, while Flu joined Vasco da Gama, Sao Paulo, Internacional, Santos, Gremio, Flamengo and Palmeiras in appearing in one. Real Madrid and Barcelona have participated in five and four finals apiece.
7
Manchester City finished with a +7 goal difference – the second best for a triumphant team. Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona to finish with +8 at Japan 2011. City’s 4-0 win over Fluminense tied Barça’s defeat of Santos for the biggest victory in a final.
6
Back-to-back third-place play-offs have produced six goals. After Flamengo beat Al Ahly 4-2 at Morocco 2022, Ahly overcame Urawa Reds 4-2 in Jeddah. The last seven battles for bronze have now average a whopping 4.14 goals per game.
4
Karim Benzema became the first player to score in four editions of the Club World Cup. The 35-year-old Frenchman’s goal for Al Ittihad against Auckland City made him the eighth player to register a goal for multiple clubs in competition after Dwight Yorke (Manchester United and Sydney FC), Neri Cardozo (Boca Juniors and Monterrey), Ronaldinho (Barcelona and Atletico Mineiro), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United and Real Madrid), Tsukasa Shiotani (Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Al Ain), Hussein Elshahat (Al Ain and Al Ahly) and Percy Tau (Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly). Benzema netted again against Al Ahly, four days shy of his 36th birthday, to become the competition’s second-oldest marksman after Javier Zanetti.
4
Pep Guardiola became the first coach to win four Club World Cups. Having guided Barcelona to glory in 2009 and ’11, and Bayern Munich to the title in 2013, he previously shared the record with Carlo Ancelotti.
3
Mateo Kovacic became the first player to lift the trophy with three teams. After winning the competition with Real Madrid in 2016 and ’17, and Chelsea in 2021, he helped Manchester City come out on top in Jeddah. Another eight players had emerged triumphant with two clubs: Dida (Corinthians and AC Milan), Danilo (Sao Paulo and Corinthians), Fabio Santos (Sao Paulo and Corinthians), Thiago Alcantara (Barcelona and Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Bayern and Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United and Madrid), Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich and Liverpool) and David Alaba (Bayern Munich and Real Madrid).
0
No English team had won the Club World Cup at their first attempts – Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea had failed in 2000, 2005 and 2012 respectively – until Manchester City snapped the sequence.
