The
Chelsea midfielder on the importance of the Club World Cup,
Champions League final joy and wanting to rip his own teeth out
Mason Mount does not like to forget. The midfielder knows how painful it is to lose a final and he will not throw his medal away if Palmeiras stop Chelsea from winning the Club
World Cup for the first time on Saturday night. “Obviously the winners’ ones take top place on the mantelpiece,” Mount says after being asked where he keeps his most prized possessions. “You look at the second-place ones for memories. You think how distraught you were. I know a lot of players throw it to the side but I like having them. Then you see the winners’ medals, that feeling of winning, and you remember that. I keep everything.”
The midday sun is beating down in Abu Dhabi and Mount, who is about to play the sixth final of his short career, is in a thoughtful mood. The 23-year-old reached the top when Chelsea beat
Manchester City in the Champions League final last season, but he soon came crashing back down to earth when
Italy beat
England in the Euro 2020 final. “The highs and lows of
Football,” Mount sighs. “I’ve played quite a few finals and understand what it feels like.”