Belgian international Thomas Vermaelen was in the Barcelona squad that won the FIFA Club World Cup tournament in 2015. Barcelona qualified for the World Cup by winning the Champions League title from the 2014/15 season.
For the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup final, Barcelona met with River Plate from the Argentine top flight and it was the Spanish team who emerged winners via a 3-0 win. Belgian national team defender Thomas Vermaelen was left on the bench at the start of the game and he would be introduced into it for the final ten minutes.
Thomas Vermaelenis a versatile player who can feature either as a left-back or as a centre back. Barcelona boss Luis Enrique opted to start with Spanish player Jordi Alba at left-back, while the duo of Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano were the central defenders. Thomas Vermaelen came on for Argentine player Mascherano with nine minutes left on the clock. The ex-Arsenal skipper entered into the game when it has already been won thanks to three goals from his teammates. His presence was to keep things tight at the back and maintain the clean sheet until the end of the game.
Barcelona took the lead through star player Lionel Messi. His goal nine minutes from the interval gave the Catalan giants a slim advantage after 45 minutes. Luis Suarez added a second half brace to wrap up the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup title for Barcelona.