A brilliant performance by Chelsea ensured our Club World Cup campaign concluded with us becoming the first team to lift the new trophy and be crowned world champions.

An incredible spell before half-time saw Cole Palmer score two well-placed efforts before setting up Joao Pedro for an audacious scooped finish, giving us a 3-0 lead at the break which we would refuse to relinquish.

Speaking after the game, Maresca felt you could see just how much this victory meant to him, the players and the club as a whole from the scenes of celebration as we lifted the trophy at the MetLife Stadium.

'It was a fantastic reaction,' he said. 'Being Club World Cup champions is something we have to be very proud of.

'We are very happy. Especially for doing it against PSG. As I said before, I consider them the best team in the world with one of the best managers in the world, fantastic players. So it was a top achievement.

'Had you told me we were going to be winning 3-0 in the first half, of course I would not have expected that, but I knew we were going to compete because that’s what we’re here for. I know that our squad can really compete against really talented teams.

'We are very happy. I have always said we are proud to be here playing in this competition. We spent one month here and in the end it was worth it.'

Having become the first team ever to lift this new trophy, Maresca also explained that his experiences in the USA this summer have led him to believe the competition can grow to become increasingly important in world football, meaning this could be a victory we look back on with even more pride in future years.

‘To be honest I told my players I have the feeling this competition could become just as important or even more important than the Champions League,' Enzo continued.

‘A few years ago I was lucky enough to be part of a tactical staff which won the Champions League and I enjoyed every minute of it. I think that this competition uniting all the best clubs in the world will become more important.

'We value it just as much as winning the Champions League because we can give this championship to the Chelsea fans and it will be a source of pride to wear the winner’s badge.’

And of course, it is a second piece of silverware to give us a fantastic conclusion to a long but successful season.

He concluded: ‘I think that during the season we were heading in the right direction and we ended the season very well and now we’ve lifted this fantastic trophy.’