Footballer and PE teacher does the impossible at FIFA Club World Cup

(Dan Tri) - Despite being eliminated from the group stage, Auckland City still created an earthquake at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the US when they tied with Boca Juniors (Argentina) and indirectly eliminated their opponent.

Highlight Auckland City 1-1 Boca Juniors

After two heavy defeats against Bayern Munich (0-10) and Benfica (0-6), Auckland entered the final round of the group stage without any goals. However, in what seemed like a formality against Boca, the New Zealand team did the unthinkable after 90 minutes of perseverance.

Gray received the man of the match award for Auckland City against Boca Juniors (Photo: Getty).

In the first half, they were 1-0 down. But in the 52nd minute, Gray - a player and a PE teacher - unexpectedly became the hero when he scored the equalizer with a precise header. It was also the first time he played in the tournament and fate chose him to write a historic moment.

According to sports website Invictos, Gray’s goal was described as “a fairy tale come true” at this year’s FIFA Club World Cup. Despite having just helped his team achieve a special milestone, Gray is still worried about the day he returns to New Zealand - where he will continue his job as a student grader.

In addition to the $3.58 million fixed bonus for qualifying for the tournament, Auckland City received an additional $1 million for the draw with Boca. This is the largest source of income in the club's history, exceeding the weekly salary of each player in the team by more than 10,000 times.

Gray celebrates Auckland City's only goal at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (Photo: Getty).

The disparity becomes even more apparent when looking at the global power rankings published by Opta. Boca Juniors are currently ranked 152nd in the world , while Auckland City are ranked 4,971st.

With 74 titles, Boca is the most successful club in Argentine football history. And it was Auckland, a semi-professional team, ranked thousands of places below them, who ended their journey at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/cau-thu-kiem-giao-vien-the-duc-lam-dieu-khong-tuong-tai-fifa-club-world-cup-20250626163803162.htm