Won Champions League, international tournament in same season: Man City star can make history

Matthew Stead
Lautaro Martinez, Lionel Messi, Enzo Fernandez and Man City's Julian Alvarez

Nineteen players have won the Champions League and World Cup or European Championship in the same season. A Man City or Inter Milan star will make it 20.

Either Julian Alvarez or Lautaro Martinez will crown phenomenal individual seasons with Champions League glory come June.

After both won the World Cup with Argentina in mid-season, they will face off when Man City take on Inter Milan for the European Cup.

A total of 19 players have won the European Cup/Champions League and World Cup or European Championship in the same campaign, featuring in the final of both. Alvarez or Martinez, who replaced the Man City forward as an extra-time substitute in the final against France, are guaranteed to join them. And Alvarez could become the first player to ever achieve this feat while at an English club.

 

1964: Luis Suarez (Inter Milan and Spain)
Played every minute of a European Cup run in which Inter conceded five goals in nine games against Everton, Monaco, Partizan Belgrade, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.

Played every minute of a European Championship run in which Spain beat Hungary after extra-time and the Soviet Union with a late winner in a four-team tournament, earning a place in the Team of the Tournament.

Probably didn’t bite anyone.

 

1974: Sepp Maier (Bayern Munich and West Germany)
Played every minute of a European Cup run in which Bayern Munich stumbled past Atvidaberg on penalties, Dynamo Dresden by a single goal on aggregate, CSKA Sofia despite a second-leg defeat and Atletico Madrid in a final replay. Conceded 15 goals in 10 games.

Played every minute of a World Cup run in which West Germany won six of their seven games, losing only to East Germany, before stunning the Netherlands in the final. Kept four clean sheets.

Established himself as football’s most fondly remembered Sepp.

 

1974: Paul Breitner (Bayern Munich and West Germany)
Missed most of the first-round tie with Swedish champions Atvidaberg and all of the second-round tie against Dynamo Dresden, but played every minute of the quarter-final, semi-final and final, in which he assisted the opening goal with a delightful through ball.

Played every minute of West Germany’s World Cup run, scoring against Chile and Yugoslavia in the first and second group phases respectively, before equalising against Netherlands in the final with a penalty.

Immediately joined Real Madrid and withdrew from international selection until 1981 because why not.

 

1974: Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck (Bayern Munich and West Germany)
Played every minute of Bayern Munich’s European Cup run, scoring a stunning long-range equaliser in the final minute of extra-time in the final against Atletico Madrid to force a replay.

Played all but 22 minutes of West Germany’s World Cup run, the centre-half being substituted just after the hour mark of the East Germany group-stage defeat. It was 0-0 when Horst-Dieter Hottges replaced the centre-half, with Jurgen Sparwasser scoring nine minutes later.

Joked that “‘even Pele wouldn’t have scored” his European Cup final goal.

 

1974: Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich and West Germany)
Played every minute of Bayern Munich’s European Cup as captain, assisting one goal against Dynamo Dresden and scoring against CSKA Sofia.

Played every minute of West Germany’s World Cup run as captain, assisting the only goal of the opening game against Chile.

Inspired a minus-20-year-old John Stones.

 

1974: Gerd Muller (Bayern Munich and West Germany)
Played every minute of Bayern Munich’s European Cup run, winning the Golden Boot with eight goals, including two in the replayed final.

Played every minute of West Germany’s World Cup run, his four goals including the winner in the final, with a hat-trick of assists against Sweden.

Was really quite good.

Gerd Muller

 

1974: Uli Hoeness (Bayern Munich and West Germany)
Played every minute of Bayern Munich’s European Cup run, his five goals including two in the replayed final.

Played all but 70 minutes of West Germany’s World cup run, assisting three goals and scoring one.

Was not in charge of sorting everyone’s finances.

 

1988: Hans van Breukelen (PSV and Netherlands)
Played every minute of a European Cup run in which PSV beat each of Galatasaray, Bordeaux and Real Madrid by a single goal, before beating Benfica on penalties. Kept five clean sheets in nine games.

Played every minute of a European Championship run-in which Netherlands lost their opening game with the Soviet Union before beating England, Ireland, West Germany and the USSR in the final. Kept two clean sheets in five games.

Saved Antonio Veloso’s penalty in sudden death of the European Cup final shootout; named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament for the Euros.

 

1988: Ronald Koeman (PSV and Netherlands)
Played every minute of PSV’s European Cup run, bar the semi-final second leg against Real Madrid. Scored the first penalty of the final shootout.

Played every minute of Netherlands’ European Championship run, assisting the only goal against Ireland and equalising in the semi-final against West Germany with a penalty.

Became one of only five European players to win a club Treble and international tournament in the same year, while also hatching a plan to not give Oumar Niasse an Everton dressing room locker.

 

1988: Berry van Aerle (PSV and Netherlands)
Played every minute of PSV’s European Cup run, scoring in the second-round tie with Rapid Vienna.

Played every minute of Netherlands’ European Championship run, collecting a yellow card in the final for his efforts.

Maintained a wonderful moustache throughout.

 

1988: Gerald Vanenburg (PSV and Netherlands)
Played every minute of PSV’s European Cup run, assisting in the wins over Galatasaray and Rapid Vienna before converting his effort in the final shootout.

Started every game of Netherlands’ European Championship run, clearing a West Germany corner off the line in the semi-final at 1-1.

Remains the only player to win the European Cup or Champions League while simultaneously being called Gerald.

 

1998: Christian Karembeu (Real Madrid and France)
Played every minute of Real Madrid’s Champions League run from the quarter-finals onwards, scoring twice against Bayer Leverkusen and once against Borussia Dortmund.

Started France’s World Cup campaign on the bench but played his way in on the right-hand side of the team, being substituted about a minute after receiving a booking for fouling Cafu in the final.

Helped prevent compatriots Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps from achieving the Champions League and World Cup double by keeping Juventus at bay in the final of the former.

 

2002: Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid and Brazil)
Played 13 of 17 games in a ludicrously congested Champions League run for Real Madrid, scoring two goals and assisting five, including a couple in the final from a long throw-in and a slightly more fortuitous cross to Zidane.

Played all but one game of a World Cup run in which Brazil enjoyed one of the easiest passages to a major international tournament final on record. Scored in a group-stage win over China.

Named in the World Cup All-Star team.

 

2012: Fernando Torres (Chelsea and Spain)
Started six of 13 games in Chelsea’s Champions League run, still managing to score three goals and assist five.

Started two of six games in Spain’s European Championship run, still managing to technically win the Golden Boot by playing the fewest minutes of a group of players who scored three goals.

Gave Gary Neville quite the night.

 

2012: Juan Mata (Chelsea and Spain)
Played every game but one of Chelsea’s Champions League run, scoring two goals and assisting one. Took the corner for Didier Drogba’s final equaliser against Bayern Munich, before missing a penalty in the shootout.

Played three minutes of Spain’s European Championship run, yet still scored in the final against Italy.

Started his collection of trophies as a Premier League player, which includes pretty much everything bar the actual Premier League title.

 

2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal)
Played every game but one of Real Madrid’s Champions League run, scoring a quite silly 16 goals and assisting four, including three hat-tricks. But didn’t score against Man City or Atletico in the semi and final.

Started every game of Portugal’s European Championship run, with three goals and assists each against Hungary, Croatia and Wales.

Owes his crowning career achievement to Eder.

 

2016: Pepe (Real Madrid and Portugal)
Played nine of 13 games as Real Madrid unconvincingly but inevitably made their way past Wolfsburg, Man City and Atletico Madrid in some cagey quarter-final, semi-final and final encounters.

Played six of seven games as Portugal scrapped their way to European Championship glory by drawing three games, winning two after extra-time and emerging victorious on penalties once.

Engaged in The Dark Arts.

 

2018: Raphael Varane (Real Madrid and France)
Played 11 of 13 games in one of the toughest runs to a Champions League final ever, scoring an own goal against Tottenham and missing the north London side’s 3-1 win over Los Blancos at Wembley through injury.

Played every minute of a World Cup run in which France flirted with elimination in the last 16 against Argentina before living up to their billing as favourites against Uruguay, Belgium and Croatia. Helped keep four clean sheets in seven games, scoring the opener in the quarter-final against Uruguay.

Was in the World Cup All-Star (stat-based) and Dream Team (fan-voted), as well as the Champions League Squad of the Season.

 

2020: Jorginho (Chelsea and Italy)
Started all but one of Chelsea’s 13 Champions League games, with a front-row view of N’Golo Kante’s brilliance in the final against Man City and beyond.

Played all but 15 minutes of Italy’s European Championship run, scoring in the semi-final penalty shootout win over Spain but having his final spot kick against England saved by Jordan Pickford.

Voted third in the Ballon d’Or but could not quite force an apology out of Rio Ferdinand.

F365 Features Christian Karembeu