In the year 2000, the format of the very first edition of the Club World Cup (from January 5 to 14, 2000 in Brazil) was also very questionable. FIFA had gathered the winner of the 1999 Champions League, Manchester United, the last continental champions (Vasco da Gama was the title holder of the Copa Libertadores) as well as Real Madrid as a winner of the 1998 Intercontinental Cup in order to train two groups of four.
The two European representatives did not manage to finish at the top of their group to access the final. Real Madrid, with a Nicolas Anelka striker against Al-Nassr then Corinthians, finished second unlike goals in group A. In the other hen, Manchester United even finished third behind Vasco de Gama and Necaxa after a 1-1 draw against Mexican formation then a defeat against Vasco (1-3)!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
During the final between the first two, Vasco Da Gama, with the young Juninho and the Romario legend, ended up being crowned in goal before the Corinthians of Dida and Vampeta (0-0, Tab: 4-3). It was at the Maracana at the Rio de Janeiro. Three hours earlier, the Merengues lost the match for third place against Necaxa (1-1, Tab 3-4), a shot from Steve Mcmanaman making Real plunge.
It was the world club championship
The FIFA of Sepp Blatter programmed a second edition the year after, during the summer in Spain, with this time 12 participants (three groups of four). Real Madrid, reigning European champion, Galatasaray, winner of the UEFA 2000 Cup against Arsenal, as well as the Deportivo La Corogne, a reigning Spanish champion, were in the game, just like Boca Juniors, Palmeiras or Los Angeles Galaxy. But the tournament was removed in early May due to the defection of the main sponsor.
The FIFA Club World Championship 2001 therefore did not take place and FIFA waited 2005 to put this competition to the taste of the day, but in a tournament format with only six clubs. The following year, with the same number of guests and still in Japan, the competition was thus renamed FIFA Club World Cup. In French at the time, the World Club Championship therefore became the Club World Cup.
After Corinthians in 2000, it was Sao Paulo (with Aloisio and Grafite) and the Internacional (by Marcos Ceara and Fernandao) who won in 2005 and 2006, respectively against the Liverpool of Steven Gerrard (1-0) and FC Barcelona of Ronaldinho (1-0). AC Milan was the first European club to win the club World Cup in 2007 ahead of Boca Juniors (4-2), with a double of Filippo Inzaghi and the achievements of Alessandro Nesta and Kaka.
