Auckland City: Sales staff, forklift drivers attend FIFA Club World Cup

Auckland City FC is a special team at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, as they are a team that brings together players who are sales staff, drivers...

Auckland City is one of the most special teams at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup - Photo: AFP

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup kicked off today, June 15, in the United States.

All eyes are on the world's top superstars such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland... But besides those top superstars, there are still names that make fans surprised. No different from a Hollywood movie, that is the journey of semi-professional football team Auckland City FC (New Zealand) to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Auckland City FC does not have a modern training facility, their players are not millionaires. Most of them have daily jobs: forklift drivers, sales staff, real estate specialists...

But with their undying passion for the game, they have secured the only ticket from Oceania to the biggest stage in club football, where Auckland will face giants Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors in Group C.

Work in factory, office during the day, go to soccer practice at night

To understand the extraordinary nature of Auckland City, look at the life of captain Mario Ilich. He doesn’t spend his days at the training ground, instead he works as a salesman for Coca-Cola. Speaking to CNN Sports, Ilich described his “love of football” as the team’s biggest motivator.

Ilich's day job is as a salesman for Coca-Cola - Photo: Mario Ilich

“People say that professional players work hard, and that’s true. But we work even harder. We’re trying to play at the highest level while working two or three jobs,” Ilich said.

His and his teammates' daily schedules are a testament to their relentless effort and dedication.

Mario Ilich shared: “My day starts around 5am. I wake up, go to the gym for an hour, come home for breakfast and have to be at the office by 8am. I try to finish work by 5pm so I can get to the training ground, which starts at 6am. We train for about 2 hours and get home around 9pm. Then I go to bed to prepare for the same day the next day.”

With four training sessions a week and matches on Saturdays, the lives of Auckland players revolve almost entirely around work and the pitch. This puts pressure not only on the players but also on their families and friends.

“I can only really see my girlfriend on a rare Friday or Sunday night. But luckily she is very understanding of my football career and has always supported me in pursuing my dream,” Ilich admitted.

Auckland City has been training very hard to prepare for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup - Photo: AFP

Vice-captain Adam Mitchell’s story is a different story, reflecting the harshness of the professional football world. Mitchell once touched his dream when he signed for the European Cup 1 winners, Red Star Belgrade. However, his career did not go as planned, leading him to wander through Slovenia and then to the lower leagues of England with Bolton Wanderers.

Ultimately, Mitchell faced a difficult decision: continue pursuing his uncertain professional dream or return to New Zealand for a more stable life as a real estate agent. And he chose the latter.

Now, playing for Auckland City has given him another chance to live his passion, and he hopes the team’s journey can inspire national pride, just as New Zealand did at the 2010 World Cup. “It’s a great opportunity to represent our country and our region with pride,” he said.

Dream of facing giants

Goalkeeper Conor Tracey still remembers the fateful moment when the whole team gathered at the club's headquarters at 6am to watch the draw for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. "You never forget a moment like that. Every time a name is called: Bayern Munich, Benfica, Boca Juniors... Each team has an incredible history. It was a crazy group," Tracey said.

For Tracey, who spends her days working in the warehouse of a veterinary pharmaceutical company, the tournament was the pinnacle of her career.

Tracey works in the warehouse of a veterinary pharmaceutical company - Photo: Conor Tracey

“My job is very physical and can take a toll on the body. I am much more prone to injury because we don’t have enough time to recover properly. There were times when I thought about giving up, but the Club World Cup is a worthy goal to strive for,” he said.

Now they face their biggest test yet. Captain Ilich is looking forward to facing Bayern Munich idol Joshua Kimmich. Goalkeeper Tracey will be in goal against Manuel Neuer.

“They earn millions and millions of dollars, and we are just semi-professional players playing for love. But we are close friends on and off the field, fighting for each other,” said Ilich.

Auckland City will face "giant" Bayern Munich in the opening match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at 11pm on June 15.

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THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/auckland-city-nhan-vien-ban-hang-tai-xe-xe-nang-du-fifa-club-world-cup-20250615123138052.htm