Suarez, Ramos & Thiago Silva: Big Names You Didn’t Know Are In The Club World Cup

We have already discussed who the likely eye-catching stars will be at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup. But how about some of football’s veterans, who have nodded opportunities elsewhere to conclude their lengthy playing careers at clubs which are unsung.

With the incorporation of an additional 25 teams to the tournament, all split into eight groups of four, we get to witness a lot of fresh newcomers on the scene. Some of these sides obtain many childhood heroes, as they look to refresh our memories with glimpses of their renowned talent.

Thiago Silva – Fluminense

Thiago Silva just does not want his mature, successful footballing career to end. After sticking out four years with Chelsea, the 40-year-old moved away back to his home country with Fluminense. He has since made 36 appearances for the Brazilian side, showing he still has what it takes. Now he awaits an exciting summer of Club World Cup football.

🚨🇧🇷 Thiago Silva ✖️ Fluminense until June 2026 — he’s back home.

15 years after leaving to join AC Milan then PSG and Chelsea, Thiago returns where his fantastic journey started in 1998. pic.twitter.com/EbcQzHe7RY

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 7, 2024

Fluminense look to now participate in the competition for the second time this campaign. For a matter of fact, the first time they were involved was the last series of the cup, back in 2023. However, that year they lost 4-0 in the final to a treble-winning Manchester City outfit. This time round, Silva’s new team have qualified for the tournament through their 2023 Copa Libertadores triumph.

Luis Suarez

David Beckham has assembled quite the team for Inter Miami. As Lionel Messi made the monumental jump over the pond, his former teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordan Alba followed suit. That was not all of it either; Messi’s partner in crime for Barca, Luiz Suarez, also tested out the MLS waters with the Herons.

Suarez is still there almost two years on, embarking on the upcoming Club World Cup after having scored 33 goals in American football. The Uruguayan and his phenomenal goal record are no strangers to the Club World Cup. The 28-year-old has already featured in the competition once before, in which he was awarded both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot back in 2015 – he scored five goals across two games in this edition.

🏆 #OTD in 2015, Barça beat @RiverPlate 3-0, to lift the Club World Cup. Goals by #Messi and @LuisSuarez9 (2x). pic.twitter.com/1wyzjUgoCX

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 20, 2020

Olivier Giroud – Los Angeles FC

Olivier Giroud is a player who has seemed to fade from our memories as of late. Hopefully this impending Club World Cup can echo a reminder of the ability he displayed at the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and even AC Milan.

Giroud will be competing with LAFC in this tournament – his new home after a peaceful move over to California last summer. Whilst the Frenchman has not hit the ground running in the MLS, only scoring four goals so far, this cup will be a good test for him. The 38-year-old will compete in Group D, which happens to be the same group that occupies his former club, Chelsea.

🆕LAFC striker Olivier Giroud hopes to beat Club America on Saturday and face Chelsea in the Club World Cup: "I never played it, basically. When we won the Champions League with Chelsea I left [for] Milan the year after. It could be nice to meet Chelsea again." pic.twitter.com/0OuMTctoFx

— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) May 30, 2025

Giroud was never able to compete for Chelsea in the Club World Cup after their fantastic Champions League win in 2021. This was because the Frenchman had left for AC Milan just two months after the European triumph. However, to see the striker battle it out against his former club will be a pleasing sight for all Chelsea fans.

Sergio Ramos – Monterrey

Sergio Ramos’ incredible legacy will be left behind in football for eternity. The no-nonsense defender has four Champions League’s and a World Cup Winners medal under his belt. As he approaches that feared age where retirement is looming, the Spaniard has one more chance to display the defensive excellence we all know and love at the upcoming Club World Cup.

Ramos will be playing for Mexican side Monterrey in this tournament, as the club prepare for their sixth Club World Cup. On a personal note, the 39-year-old already has four appearances in the competition himself, winning all four of them with Real Madrid. Although he is heading into this one in a juxtaposed position, with a team deemed to be underdogs, Ramos’ experience should help the Liga MX side. It has already done so on their domestic travels; despite injury recently interrupting his season, the Galáctico has already contributed three goals and has only lost one game for the Rayados.

Sergio Ramos taking us back to the Real Madrid days as he scores his first Monterrey goal 🥹 pic.twitter.com/PFLDnsmfZ9

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) March 3, 2025

Édinson Cavani – Boca Juniors

38-year-old Édinson Cavani never seems to lose his goalscoring touch. Wherever he ends up, you can rely on him to find the back of the net. Following the 300-goal tally he calculated across Napoli, PSG and Manchester United, the Uruguayan now finds himself netting for Boca Juniors in Argentina. After signing in 2023, Cavani has already scored 25 goals in 67 games, making him one of their key players heading into this Club World Cup.

Édinson Cavani is yet to feature in the international competition. However, this year he will be involved in Boca’s third Club World Cup, as they look to bounce back from their defeat in the final back in 2007. It will in no way be easy for the Argentines; they have to get out of a group which contains both Bayern Munich and Benfica. That is before they even think about entering the knockout stages against the extensive 32-team list of giants.

CLUB WORLD CUP 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏 𝐂:

🇩🇪 Bayern
🇵🇹 Benfica
🇦🇷 Boca Juniors
🇳🇿 Auckland City pic.twitter.com/h6edOzUcqF

— 433 (@433) December 5, 2024

Look Out For More

At Football Park, we will be covering all things Club World Cup this summer. Whether that be articles such as this, or our vast number of match predictions over on our predictions page. All of these predictions offer key insights from our team of in-house betting experts, so make sure you do not miss out!