Creating interest in new sports properties is hard. Leagues spend millions trying to launch tournaments; be it through flashy formats, new ways of streaming, big-name players, bold ad campaigns... the list goes on - and yet still, most fail.

The reason? There's no social proof. No proof that it'll work, be liked or that anyone will really care.

People don’t engage with events because they’re good - they engage because other people care. To be meaningful, it has to matter to others.

In today’s culture economy, the fastest way to create the illusion of meaning isn’t through media buys, but instead through influence. Just look at Cristiano Ronaldo’s new deal, worth a minimum of £492million over two years, a lot of which is believed to be because he’s the third biggest influencer on the planet.

The FIFA Club World Cup has struggled in recent weeks. On paper, it had everything the football world would want - elite teams and players battling amongst one another, global rights deals that can be monetised to the masses to bring maximum entertainment... but the problem was, it seemed, that it lacked meaning. Players didn’t want it, fans weren’t asking for it. It didn't feel important.

So, on Sunday, when the final came between Chelsea and PSG, what should've been one of the most watched matches in the world, didn't seem to have the same excitement and build-up that the more well-established tournaments have.

Chelsea being 3-0 in the first 45 minutes against the current champions of Europe should have had the world in a head spin at half time, but instead it underlined the question of whether this really matters.

Until of course, the trophy lift came. Enter the President of the United States, Donald Trump. There to personally present Reece James with the first-ever Club World Cup trophy. A usually standard ritual of handing the trophy to the winning captain, saying well done and then exiting stage right so that the winning squad get to celebrate. But this is Donald Trump we're talking about...ever the divisive character, but one who knows how to make the most out of a moment... President Trump decided to stay with the Chelsea team as they lifted the trophy.

Trump, booed by parts of the crowd while being surrounded by a host of confused players (Cole Palmer's face didn't fail to deliver, again), stood there, beaming from ear to ear, seemingly none the wiser about how spectacularly absurd and surreal this moment had become. Or was he? Was he really that unaware of what his presence in this moment might do? I suppose we'll never know the true answer, but just like that, the moment exploded across the internet. TikTok, X, Instagram, YouTube and Reddit came alive. The most memeable man in recent times had done it again. This wasn’t about the football or the Club World Cup. It was about the collision of sport, politics, culture, influence and the absurd all in one go.

Within hours, it became the most talked-about sporting event of the weekend, surpassing Jannik Sinner's maiden Wimbledon Championship victory.

But why and how did Trump (and in turn FIFA) manage to achieve this? To me, it's become a simple trend of people going where the energy is. We look for cues - what's trending? What are others watching? What's in the feed? What's cool right now? We're constantly seeking validation.

As we know, marketing can be at risk of flopping when it tries to build an audience without first demonstrating that one exists. Influencers have managed to solve that problem over the last decade, and Trump has just proven how the theory works. Influencers don’t just bring reach; they bring pre-validated interest.

Whether we like it or not, Trump has become the Ultimate Influencer. He’s controversial, unavoidable, endlessly memeable and knows how to turn a seemingly routine duty into one of the most talked about sporting moments in recent times. And as a result, intentionally or not, he's done what FIFA and its sponsors have been trying (and failing) to do during the entire tournament - make people care.

Trump gave the Club World Cup cultural relevance by triggering awareness and free media for its sponsors on a global scale. He didn’t make people care about the tournament; he made the tournament impossible to ignore by being part of the moment. That’s the power of influence in 2025.

If you want the world to pay attention, don’t just build the stage but put someone on it who people can’t look away from. That’s how you jumpstart social proof and turn seemingly run-of-the-mill moments into viral and cultural phenomena.