Most decorated football players: The battle of winning a trophy is such a difficult task in football and we have seen some big players who failed to win major titles. Few players completed football at an early age and few of them have won almost all major trophies. Some big footballers like Harry Kane are still waiting for that moment. In the era of Messi and Ronaldo, we have seen legends competing with each other to become decorated footballers in the world.
In today’s list, let’s go through the world’s 10 most decorated footballers. We start with the bottom and find out who tops the list.
Our list starts with former Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets who has been one the finest defensive midfielders in football history and won a total of 35 trophies. He won 32 trophies with Barcelona, including nine La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues. His three trophies came from the national team. He won the maiden FIFA World Cup with Spain in 2010 followed by the European Championship in 2012 and the UEFA Nations League in 2023. He currently joined his former teammate Messi at Inter Miami.
Retired Liverpool and Celtic legend, Kenny Dalglish also has 35 titles. He had a great career in England and Scotland. The retired player won 11 trophies with Celtic in Scotland and moved to Liverpool. He added six First Division titles and three European Cup trophies in the Reds outfit.
Al Nassr forward and Portugal international, Cristiano Ronaldo equals both Kenny and Busquets with 35 titles. He recently won the Arab Cup with Al Nassr. The 38-year-old has five Champions League titles. He has won league titles in Portugal, England, Spain and Italy. Ronaldo also has two titles with his national team, including the Nations League and the Euro Championship.
Ryan Giggs takes 7th spot in the table with 36 trophies. The Welshman gave 24 years to professional football and retired at the age of 40. He is a Manchester United legend who won all his trophies at the same club which is also a world record. He has 13 Premier League titles and this record is unlikely to be broken.
Gerard Pique retired from professional football last year and he will remain a Barca legend with his glorious career. The former defender played for Manchester United, Barcelona, and Spain. He has four Champions League titles. Pique has a Euro Championship title and the 2012 FIFA World Cup for his country.
One of the finest midfielder in football history, Andres Iniesta has 37 titles. He is another Barca man in the list who spent 16 years at Camp Nou. The former Barcelona Midfielder won nine La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues. He won the FIFA World Cup for Spain and scored a winning goal against the Netherlands in the final. He hasn’t retired yet and is playing for UAE Pro League side, Emirates Club.
Maxwell is one of the finest left-backs in the history of the game. He won trophies in different countries like the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France. He featured for European giants like Ajax, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. He won 14 trophies with PSG in just 5 years and he stands with 37 trophies.
Hossam Ashour is the only non-European player in the list who won 39 titles. The Eygptian set a benchmark with Al-Ahly and won 39 trophies in 17 years, including 13 Egyptian Premier League titles and 10 Egyptian Super Cups. He retired from professional football in 2022 after playing with Al-Ittihad.
Winning 44 trophies is an incredible achievement and Dani Alves did it and has been regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the world. The Brazilian has played early football in his own country and then found success in Europe. He featured some top European teams like Sevilla, Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. He has five trophies for his country, including two Copa America titles. He is retired now and takes a big lead over 3rd placed Ashour.
Who takes the first spot? It’s Lionel Messi who became the most decorated footballer of all time with 44 titles. He is still playing so he will find his 45th soon. He reached that milestone when his side Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup. Messi spent his major life in Barcelona and won 34 trophies at Camp Nou, including 10 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League titles. With Argentina, he recently won the FIFA World Cup and the Copa America Cup.
Editors pick
