Rodri’s recent accomplishment of securing the World Cup adds a significant feather to his cap, as he now boasts the illustrious titles of World Cup champion, European Championship winner, Champions League victor, and Ballon d’Or recipient. Owen Bagnall raises a thought-provoking inquiry.
Indeed, the answer is yes, but the roster of players who have achieved this feat is strikingly limited.
Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller were the trailblazers, achieving the coveted quartet on July 7, 1974, the same day West Germany defeated the Netherlands in the World Cup final, with Müller netting the decisive goal. Both players entered the tournament fresh off Bayern Munich’s triumph in the 1974 European Cup and had previously claimed the European Championship title with their national team two years earlier. Beckenbauer captained all three victorious sides, while Müller found the back of the net in every final. Müller received the Ballon d’Or in 1970, followed by Beckenbauer in 1972.
It took almost thirty years for another player to match this remarkable achievement. Zinedine Zidane accomplished this by clinching the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2002, complementing his earlier accolades of the 1998 World Cup, the 1998 Ballon d’Or, and the 2000 European Championship.
Rivaldo entered this elite circle the subsequent year. After securing the Copa América with Brazil in 1999 and the Ballon d’Or that same year, he completed his collection with the 2002 World Cup and the 2003 Champions League. Notably, he did not play in the final against Juventus, although he participated throughout the tournament.
Similarly, Ronaldinho’s situation carries a slight caveat; he was part of the Brazil squad during the 1999 Copa América but did not feature in the final. Nevertheless, he earned the medal and subsequently added the 2002 World Cup, the 2005 Ballon d’Or, and the 2006 Champions League with Barcelona to his achievements.
As expected, Lionel Messi has also achieved the complete set, winning his first Champions League title in 2006 with Barcelona and playing a pivotal role in their 2009 victory. He was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 2009, but his wait for international success stretched until he captured the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 World Cup.
Now, Rodri has joined this prestigious group after adding the World Cup to his accolades, which also include the 2023 Champions League, the 2024 Euros, and the 2024 Ballon d’Or. The only player to accomplish this feat more quickly is Beckenbauer, who completed his set within a brief two-year span.
In women’s football, the complete quartet remains unachieved, primarily due to the Ballon d’Or Féminin being relatively new, having existed for just seven years. Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí have collectively amassed five of these honors, along with a Champions League title and a World Cup, but they will have to wait for the 2029 European Championship for another chance to finalize their collection. Megan Rapinoe, who won the Ballon d’Or Féminin in 2019, also boasts a World Cup and a Concacaf W Championship but has yet to secure a continental club championship, given that Concacaf only introduced one in 2024.
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“Adding the World Cup to his résumé means Rodri has now won the World Cup, the European Championship, the Champions League, and the Ballon d’Or,” asks Michael Ross.
This seemingly straightforward question reveals itself to be more intricate than expected. Comprehensive statistics from the tournament’s earlier editions are scarce, and the absence of television footage means much of that history has been lost. As a result, we can accurately evaluate performances only from 1966 onward. The 2026 tournament, unsurprisingly given the number of matches played by the final four teams, established a new record for assists by a single player in a tournament, while a familiar name emerged as the all-time leader.
Most assists at one tournament (from 1966): 7 Michael Olise (France, 2026); 6 Pelé (Brazil, 1970); 5 Robert Gadocha (Poland, 1974), Pierre Littbarski (West Germany, 1982), Diego Maradona (Argentina, 1986), Thomas Hässler (West Germany, 1994); 4 Siggi Held (West Germany, 1966), Tostão (Brazil, 1970), Zico (Brazil, 1982), Igor Belanov (USSR, 1986), Michael Ballack (Germany, 2002), Francesco Totti (Italy, 2006), Juan Román Riquelme (Argentina, 2006), Juan Cuadrado (Colombia, 2014), Bruno Guimarães (Brazil, 2026), Brahim Díaz (Morocco, 2026), Lionel Messi (Argentina, 2026), Martin Ødegaard (Norway, 2026), Kylian Mbappé (France, 2026).
Most assists overall (from 1966): 12 Lionel Messi (Argentina, 2006-26); 8 Diego Maradona (Argentina, 1982-94); 7 Grzegorz Lato (Poland, 1974-82), Pierre Littbarski (West Germany, 1982-90), Michael Olise (France, 2026); 6 Pelé (Brazil, 1966-70), Uwe Seeler (West Germany, 1966-70), Thomas Hässler (Germany, 1990-98), David Beckham (England, 1998-2006), Francesco Totti (Italy, 2002-06), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany, 2006-14), Thomas Müller (Germany, 2010-22), Ivan Perisic (Croatia, 2014-26), Kylian Mbappé (France, 2018-26).
Most assists for England: 6 David Beckham; 4 Harry Kane; 3 Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon; 2 Tommy Taylor, Bobby Moore, Keith Newton, Steve Hodge, Paul Gascoigne, Harry Maguire, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice.
Ballon d’Or winners with fewest caps
“Has anyone else ‘completed football’ like this?” shares Steve Richards. “Who has the most World Cup assists?”
Historically, international fixtures were less frequent, leading many early Ballon d’Or winners to have fewer than 50 caps. This includes Luis Suárez (Spain, 32 caps), Igor Belanov (USSR, 33), and George Best (Northern Ireland, 37).
The record for the fewest caps among Ballon d’Or winners belongs to the 1961 recipient Omar Sívori, who collected 19 caps for Argentina in the mid-1950s before moving to Italy, where he was later sidelined from La Albiceleste. He subsequently made nine appearances for Italy in the 1960s, including at the 1962 World Cup, bringing his total to 28 international matches. Additional intriguing details about his career can be found in his Guardian obituary, authored by Brian Glanville in 2005.
Among multiple winners, Alfredo Di Stéfano holds the record with the fewest caps, totaling 41 for Spain, Colombia, and Argentina, alongside his Ballon d’Or victories in 1957 and 1959. Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten, both three-time winners, earned 48 and 58 caps, respectively, for the Netherlands.
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asked Jonathan Wilson (not that one) in 2014.
During the 2014 World Cup, a total of 3,240 balls were utilized, with 20 designated for each match, all personalized with matchday details (teams, date, and venue). Each team also received 20 training balls upon their arrival at their training camp in Brazil. So, where do these balls end up? A FIFA spokesperson stated, “When reading about King Kev at his sad passing this week, I was surprised to learn that he only had 63 caps,” Specifically, Adidas, the ball’s manufacturer, explained, “That seems very low, especially for a two-time Ballon d’Or winner. Is his number of caps the lowest for a Ballon d’Or winner, especially a multi-winner?”
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“What happens to World Cup balls used throughout the tournament,” begins James Mackenzie. “The balls are used after a tournament for souvenirs for the teams and referees, host cities, Fifa partners and the Fifa museum,”
“For this World Cup we opted for all used matchballs from the games to be given to the marketing teams in those countries involved in that particular game. However, not all markets opted to take up this option. Each local market team is then encouraged to run a giveaway through social media to allow fans the chance to win the balls.” shares Alan Kinsella. “In the aftermath of England’s semi-final exit we may have overlooked the real winner on the evening,”
“Step forward Barcelona’s Anthony Gordon. Not only did he join the club of being a World Cup semi-final goal scorer for England he also bagged arguably the bigger award of a lifetime’s free access to Leeds Bradford airport’s VIP lounge! Are there any better example of a more ludicrous consolation prize in football?” recounts John Eales. “I noticed that Irish Premier Division side Shelbourne recently appointed John Russell as the men’s team manager,”
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“Their women’s team manager is Sean (Irish for John) Russell. They aren’t related. Is this a first having men’s and women’s team managers of the same name?”
“In August 1968, Plymouth Argyle hosted Exeter City in the first round of the League Cup. The match ended 0-0,”
