SP. The 15 most decorated players in football history ranked by trophies won

Every football player dreams of lifting as much silverware as they can possibly get their hands on. Some of the best players to have played the beautiful game have extremely bare-looking trophy cabinets, proving how difficult it is to win any honour in the sport.

Players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have made it look easy for many years, as the duo have led their respective teams to an unbelievable number of trophies over their long and storied careers. Then there are mercenaries like Zlatan Ibrahimovic who – while also brilliant players in their own right – move around the most historically successful clubs in the world to collect silverware at will.

This article now looks at the most successful players in football history, based on the number of trophies they have amassed throughout their playing careers. There’s even a chance for a couple of these players to add further to their already sensational hauls.

1 Lionel Messi

46 trophies

Messi is the greatest footballer of all-time in the eyes of many, and he’s also the most decorated player ever. The Argentine won an incredible 34 trophies during his time at Barcelona, before going on to win three more at Paris Saint-Germain. It looked as if Messi would end his career having never won the World Cup, but his dreams finally came true in 2022 when he was instrumental in La Albiceleste’s triumph in Qatar.

It took Messi just one month to add to his remarkable silverware tally with Inter Miami after joining the MLS club in 2023. After scoring a hugely impressive 10 goals in his first seven appearances for the Florida-based outfit, Messi got his hands on the Leagues Cup. This was Inter Miami’s first-ever trophy – a huge moment for Messi, Beckham, and everyone else associated with the Major League Soccer club. The most-recent international triumph in the iconic figure’s glistening career came as Argentina lifted the 2024 Copa America trophy, while his 46th trophy was the MLS Supporters’ Shield in October.

2 Dani Alves

43 trophies

The first player in football history to reach 43 trophies, Dani Alves is widely regarded as one of the best full-backs of all time. The Brazilian defender has won trophies in his homeland with Bahia and Sao Paulo.

He also enjoyed great success in Spain with Sevilla and Barcelona, in Italy with Juventus and France with Paris Saint-Germain. He also won five trophies for his country, including two Copa America titles, twelve years apart, in 2007 and 2019 respectively. With three Champions League titles and two UEFA Cup triumphs, Alves’ club career was just as strong in continental competition as domestic leagues and cups.

3 Hossam Ashour

39 trophies

We can forgive you for having never heard of Ashour. In fact, if you have heard of him, then we applaud your football knowledge. The Egyptian made his debut for Al-Ahly in 2003 and over the next 17 years he helped the club to 39 trophies, including 13 Egyptian Premier League titles and 10 Egyptian Super Cups.

The defensive midfielder, who made 15 appearances for his country, hung up his boots in 2022 after a spell with Al-Ittihad. Al-Ahly are the most decorated club in the history of football and that stranglehold over the competitions they compete in makes it no shock to see one of their long-serving players close to the top of this list.

4 Andres Iniesta

37 trophies

When you think of the greatest midfielders in the past 30 years, Iniesta is a name that immediately springs to mind. The midfield maestro won everything there was to win during a 16-year spell in Barcelona’s first-team, including nine La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues. His greatest moment came in the 2010 World Cup final when he scored a dramatic 116th-minute winner for Spain against the Netherlands.

Now 39, Iniesta is still going strong and recently signed for the UAE Pro League side, Emirates Club. His most recent title came in 2023, as the Spaniard helped his club to the J1 League title. It’s incredible to see the maestro still performing.

5 Gerard Pique

37 trophies

Pique retired from professional football in 2022 as one of the most decorated players ever. The Catalan defender enjoyed an illustrious career that saw him star for Manchester United, Barcelona, and Spain. He won four Champions League titles and played a starring role in Spain’s victories at Euro 2010 and the 2012 FIFA World Cup.

It will be evident to many that there are a number of Barcelona stars from the 21st century on the list. This just goes to show the level of success the Catalonian giants have had in the past two decades. Pique had several different partners at the heart of the Barca backline at Camp Nou, including Javier Mascherano and Carles Puyol.

6 Sergio Busquets

37 trophies

Busquets has cemented himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in football history after enjoying an illustrious football career. The Sabadell-born player won 32 trophies with Barcelona, including nine La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues. He is one of the most underrated stars in the history of the club, but his trophy haul proves Busquets was a world-class player at his best.

He has also picked up three trophies with Spain: the World Cup in 2010, the European Championship in 2012 and the UEFA Nations League in 2023. Busquets joined Messi at Inter Miami and added to his tally by securing the 2023 Leagues Cup alongside his former Barcelona teammate.

7 David Alaba

36 trophies

Having plied his trade for both Real Madrid and Bayern, David Alaba’s trophy cabinet was always going to be well-stacked, wasn’t it? Still largely recognised as one of the best defenders in world football at the ripe age of 32 years old, the Wien-born star still has plenty of years left in the tank to add to his tally, which currently stands at 36.

Alaba totted up almost 15 years of success in Germany, winning 10 Bundesliga titles and two Champions League, before moving to the Spanish capital – and, of course, his pursuit of silverware failed to wilt. Since his move to Los Blancos in 2021, he’s kept on winning with a duo of La Liga titles and two more Champions League trophies under his belt. Oh, he’s also been named Austria’s footballer of the year on ten separate occasions.

8 Kenny Dalglish

35 trophies

‘King Kenny’ established himself as a Celtic and Liverpool legend during his career as a professional footballer. After winning 11 trophies in Scotland, Dalglish moved to Liverpool where he won everything there was to win, including six First Division titles and three European Cup trophies.

Modern fans may know him better as the man who guided Blackburn Rovers to the Premier League title in 1994/95, but Dalglish was a serial winner during his playing days. To this day, he is regarded as one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever players, which is quite a compliment with the wealth of talent to have performed and lifted trophies in front of the Anfield faithful.

9 Ryan Giggs

35 trophies

Giggs’ longevity was something else. The Welshman started off as a tricky winger with electric pace and then transitioned into a playmaker in his latter years, allowing him to play a key role for Manchester United until he hung up his boots at the age of 40.

Giggs spent his whole 24-year professional career at the Red Devils, where he won 36 trophies. His 13 Premier League titles is a record that may never be beaten. A large part of the winger’s success at Old Trafford came through the trust shown in him by Sir Alex Ferguson for so many years. That faith certainly paid off.

10 Cristiano Ronaldo

35 trophies

Ronaldo edged up the list after winning his first title with Al-Nassr. Taking to social media after the game, Ronaldo wrote: “Extremely proud to help the team winning this important trophy for the 1st time! Thank you to everyone in the club who was involved in this great achievement and to my family and friends for always being by my side! Fantastic support by our fans! This also belongs to you!”

The five-time Champions League winner has an incredible appetite to succeed and that has not waned despite now being 39 years old. The Portuguese footballer is still going strong despite closing in on his 40s, and you wouldn’t bet against him moving even further up this list at some point in the next few years.

11 Toni Kroos

3 trophies

A cool and collected figure in the Real Madrid engine room, Toni Kroos has waltzed himself onto the list with 34 trophies to boot. Impressively, six of those are Champions Leagues – five of which have been secured in Spain. Even while at Bayern Munich, the midfielder was somewhat of a serial winner.

He collected three Bundesliga titles in six years alongside a UEFA Super Cup and three German Cups. Unlike many players on this list, Griefswald-born Kroos is also a World Cup winner with Germany. Fittingly, in his final game for Los Blancos, the German midfielder won yet another Champions League title. What a fantastic player.

12 Karim Benzema

33 trophies

In addition to his 25 trophies at Real Madrid, Benzema won seven titles at Lyon and the UEFA Nations League with France in 2021. Now in his late 30s, the Frenchman joined Al-Ittihad in the summer of 2023, and he has a chance of adding to his trophy haul in Saudi Arabia. Al-Ittihad won the Saudi Pro League in the 2022/23 season and will likely be competitive in competitions going forward.

His exclusion from the France squad for several years prevented him from being part of the World Cup-winning campaign in 2018, denying the striker a further accolade. For the majority of his career, Benzema was seen as an exceptional team player – as shown by his longevity with Los Blancos – but he was also rewarded for his individual displays in 2022 when he was awarded the Ballon d’Or.

13 Xavi

33 trophies

A tremendous footballer, Xavi was a key cog for a Barcelona side that dominated football at the back end of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s. He won 25 trophies during his illustrious 17-year stint in Barcelona’s first team, including four Champions League titles.

He also guided Spain to success in back-to-back European Champions (2008 and 2012) as well as the 2010 World Cup. Xavi became a manager after hanging up his boots and has led Barcelona to a La Liga title from the dugout rather than in the middle of the park. In his twilight years, he moved to Al Saad in Qatar and added four more trophies to his tally.

14 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

32 trophies

A man who doesn’t need any introduction. Ibrahimovic was a serial winner wherever he went during his football career. He won trophies in five different countries: in the Netherlands with Ajax, in Italy with Inter Milan and AC Milan, in Spain with Barcelona, in France with Paris Saint-Germain and in England with Manchester United.

The Swedish forward won almost every trophy there was to win during his time as a footballer apart from the Champions League. He would be further up this list had Juventus’ Serie A titles in 2004/05 and 2005/06 not been revoked. There will be no more opportunities to add further silverware for the Swede, as he announced his retirement in 2023. A sad day for the sport.

15 Luka Modric

32 trophies

As alluded to, winning trophies isn’t for everyone – but to do it with such poise and know-how as Luka Modric has done over the years is commendable. Between 2005/06 and 2007/08, the Croat won everything there was to win domestically with Dinamo Zagreb before enduring a trophy-less four-year stint with Tottenham Hotspur.

A move to Real Madrid beckoned – and the rest is history, as they say. Having picked up a handful of trophies since arriving in 2012, the one-time Ballon d’Or winner has won the Champions League six times, the La Liga on four occasions and is a five-time Spanish Super Cup winner. Poised to collect more before hanging up his boots, the 38-year-old is a bonafide winner of silverware.