Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has described the Club World Cup as a 'great initiative' and the missing piece in the football calendar.
Soriano has spearheaded the globalisation of City in recent years and is the driving force behind the network of clubs within the City Football Group.
And despite criticism of the new, expanded tournament in the United States over the past month – some coming from City’s own players - the Spaniard believes it is imperative that they are involved.
‘It’s very important to be here because we are a global football club,’ Soriano said.