Rodri joins football's elite group of players to win the World Cup, Euros, Champions League and Ballon d'Or

Rodri has joined a tiny elite group of footballers to win the World Cup, the European Championship, the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or.

Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller were the first to complete the set, doing so on 7 July 1974 when West Germany beat the Netherlands in the World Cup final. Both had already won the European Championship with West Germany two years earlier, and both had been part of Bayern Munich’s 1974 European Cup-winning side. Müller won the Ballon d’Or in 1970 and Beckenbauer in 1972.

Nearly 30 years later, Zinedine Zidane matched the achievement after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2002. He added that to the 1998 World Cup, the 1998 Ballon d’Or and the 2000 European Championship.

Rivaldo joined the group the following year. He had won the Copa América with Brazil in 1999 and the Ballon d’Or the same year, then added the 2002 World Cup and the 2003 Champions League. The article notes that he was an unused substitute in the final.

Ronaldinho’s case carries a small asterisk because he was an unused substitute in the 1999 Copa América final, but he still received the medal and later won the 2002 World Cup, the 2005 Ballon d’Or and the 2006 Champions League with Barcelona.

Lionel Messi also has the full set. He first won the Champions League in 2006 as part of the Barcelona squad, then played a major role in the 2009 victory. The Ballon d’Or followed in 2009, then the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 World Cup.

Rodri completed the quartet on Sunday, adding the World Cup to the 2023 Champions League, the 2024 Euros and the 2024 Ballon d’Or. Only Beckenbauer completed the set faster, doing so within two years.

The article says the full quartet has not yet been achieved in the women’s game, largely because the Ballon d’Or Féminin is only seven editions old. Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí have won five of those awards between them and both have a Champions League and a World Cup, but they must wait until the 2029 European Championship for another chance to complete the set. Megan Rapinoe also has a World Cup and a Ballon d’Or Féminin, but not a continental club title.

The article then answers reader questions on World Cup assists. Because early tournament records are incomplete, the analysis only counts from 1966 onwards. Michael Olise holds the single-tournament record with 7 assists at the 2026 World Cup, ahead of Pelé’s 6 in 1970. Lionel Messi leads the overall list from 1966 with 12 assists, ahead of Diego Maradona on 8.

It also notes the players with the most England assists, led by David Beckham with 6.

On Ballon d’Or winners with the fewest caps, the article says Omar Sívori holds the record with 28 international appearances, including 19 for Argentina and 9 for Italy. Among multiple winners, Alfredo Di Stéfano had the fewest caps with 41, while Johan Cruyff had 48 and Marco van Basten 58.

The final section answers a question about World Cup balls used in the 2014 tournament. Fifa said the balls were used afterward as souvenirs for teams, referees, host cities, Fifa partners and the Fifa museum. Adidas said used match balls were given to marketing teams in the countries involved, and local teams were encouraged to run giveaways for fans.