"I just want to play football man" - Juventus star Tim Weah on 'weird' Donald Trump-White House experience before Club World Cup game
USMNT and Juventus winger Timothy Weah described his visit to Donald Trump’s White House ahead of their 2025 Club World Cup opening match as an awkward experience. The Serie A giants paid a visit to the US president at his Oval Office in Washington before their match against Al Ain.
As per reports, Juventus were at the White House for 16 minutes, during which the president spoke about various issues, including the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Following Juventus’ 5-0 win over Al Ain in the country’s capital city, Weah pulled no punches while speaking to the media about the unexpected visit. He said that neither he nor his teammates were informed of the meeting beforehand and expressed his disinterest in political matters.
He said (via Pro Soccer Wire):
“It was all a surprise to me, honestly — they told us that we have to go and I had no choice but to go so I showed up.”
On if he enjoyed the experience, he said:
"I guess it was a cool experience being in the White House for the first time. It's always wonderful but I'm not one for politics so it wasn't that exciting. I was caught by surprise, honestly. It was a bit weird. When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it’s kind of like, I just want to play football man.”
According to The Athletic, the purpose of the Juventus squad’s visit to Donald Trump remains unclear, as neither the Serie A club, FIFA, nor the White House provided an explanation of how the event came about.
How Timothy Weah fared for Juventus in the Club World Cup against Al Ain
Timothy featured for Juventus as they kicked off their 2025 Club World campaign with a dominant performance against Al Ain in Washington. The Serie A giants cruised to a 5-0 win against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) side on Wednesday night to top their group standings.
Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao netted braces, while Kenan Yildiz added another goal to seal the emphatic win. Timothy Weah didn't start the match but came on at halftime, replacing Andrea Cambiaso.
In his 45 minutes on the pitch, Weah registered a passing accuracy of 91% (32/35), gave three key passes, had 41 touches, made one clearance, and made two interceptions. Overall, the USA international had a fair outing against Al Ain, earning a match rating of 7.0 as per Sofascore.
