The UEFA Champions League is one of the most prestigious club competitions in the world of football. And winning the UEFA Champions League is a dream for many football players, and it becomes a great feat and joy when a player gets to win the UEFA Champions League multiple times.
Some notable players who have won this title multiple times are – Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Francisco Gento, Paolo Maldini, Karim Benzema, and a lot of other top past and present players.
The UEFA Champions League is the holy grail of titles for players in European club football and is arguably the most elite club soccer competition in the world. Therefore, being among the group of players that have won it the highest number of times is no mean feat and a very good cause for celebration.
In this article, we will take a look at the ten players with the most Champions League titles.
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1. Francisco Gento – 6 Titles
First on our list of players with the most UEFA Champions League titles is Francisco Gento. Francisco Gento is a legendary Spanish footballer who played for Real Madrid. During his playing days, he won the UEFA Champions League six times with the Spanish giants, between 1956 and 1966.
He was a key player for Real Madrid during their European dominance in the 1950s and 1960s.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo – 5 Titles
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese footballer who currently plays for Manchester United. He won the UEFA Champions League five times, a record in the modern football era.
It can be recalled that he won four of the UEFA Champions League titles with Real Madrid and one with Manchester United in 2008 after he scored a goal in the final. Albeit the match was later decided on penalties.
Ronaldo is one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the competition, and his performances have been vital in each of his teams’ successes.
3. Paolo Maldini – 5 Titles
The third on our list of 10 players to have won the most UEFA Champions League is Paolo Maldini. Paolo Maldini is an Italian former footballer who spent his entire career at the Italian side, AC Milan.
During his time at the club, he won the UEFA Champions League five times, between 1989 and 2007. He is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in football history.
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4. Alessandro Costacurta – 5 Titles
Alessandro Costacurta is another Italian footballer who spent his entire career at AC Milan. He won the Champions League five times with the Italian giants, between 1989 and 2003, playing alongside popular AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini. Costacurta was an integral part of AC Milan’s defense during their European successes.
5. Marcelo – 5 Titles
Marcelo is a retired Brazilian international and a former Real Madrid player. He is currently regarded as the most decorated player in the history of Real Madrid having won the UEFA Champions League five times with the Spanish giants, between 2014 and 2022.
He was also key in Los Blancos’ famous UEFA Champions League win between 2016 to 2018 under Zinedine Zidane, where the Spanish side became the first team to win the trophy three times in a row in the 21st century.
6. Luka Modric – 5 Titles
From a Tottenham Hotspur player in the Premier League to the 6th player on this list of the players with the highest number of UEFA Champions League title wins is Croatian international, Luca Modric who currently plays as a midfielder for Real Madrid.
Very few would have seen this coming after his mixed start to life at the Bernabeu after being signed in the year 2012 by Jose Mourinho for Real Madrid.
Luca Modric later went on to win his first UEFA Champions League title in 2014. A final that featured Real Madrid with their league and local rivals, Atletico Madrid. This was Real Madrid’s tenth UEFA Champions League title in history and their first since the year 2002.
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7. Karim Benzema – 5 Titles
Considered to be the key player in Real Madrid’s record 14th UEFA Champions League title, Karim Benzema led the frontline for the Real Madrid UCL campaign.
Scoring several goals including a notable hat trick to help Real Madrid advance to the quarterfinals having been down 2-0 to Paris Saint Germain at Paris.
The player also scored four goals against Chelsea in the quarterfinal, including a first-leg hat trick at Stamford Bridge, and another goal in extra time after the Blues almost made a comeback at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He won the UEFA Champions League in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and also in 2022.
8. Casemiro – 5 Titles
Eight on our list of ten players with the most UEFA Champions League titles is Brazilian international and former Real Madrid player, Carlos Henrique Casimiro who is also known as Casemiro.
Before his exit from the Spanish side, Real Madrid, Casemiro was key in the club’s last five UCL campaigns. He has been able to win trophies five times at Real Madrid, including the 2014 season, the famous 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons under French manager, Zinedine Zidane, and also in 2022 under Italian manager, Carlo Ancelotti.
He presently plays for Manchester United in the Premier League under the management of Erik Ten Hag and could make his return to the UEFA Champions League in a United jersey in the 2023/24 season if all goes to plan at Old Trafford.
9. Toni Kroos – 5 Titles
Signed just after Real Madrid’s 2014 UEFA Champions League title-clinching against local and league rivals Atletico Madrid.
Retired German international Toni Kroos is one of the players with the most UCL titles in football history and one of the players with the most UCL titles in Real Madrid’s history.
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He has won a record five UEFA Champions League titles. Winning one at German club Bayern Munich in 2013 and four at Real Madrid, including 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022 UEFA Champions League.
10. Gareth Bale – 5 Titles
A key player in the famous BBC, a trio which consisted of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, and Cristiano Ronaldo; Gareth Frank Bale is a former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid player.
Signed in the year 2013 by Real Madrid under Jose Mourinho, Gareth Bale has been key in the club’s UCL successes in recent years. Scoring three UEFA Champions League final goals, including an overhead kick against Liverpool in 2018.
The player won the UEFA Champions League in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022. He has since retired from football at all levels and is interested in golf these days.
Conclusion
In this article, we have provided you with a list of the top 10 players that have won the most UEFA Champions League titles thus far.
These players were part of the key men in their teams at the time, and played major roles in these triumphs, ensuring that they deserve a mention on this list.
Meanwhile, the record for the highest number of UCL title wins by a player is still held by former player Francisco Gento of Real Madrid with 6 titles to his name. It remains to be seen if he would be surpassed as the competition continues to evolve.
Also, for a team that has dominated the UCL and has the highest number of wins thus far, it is no surprise that Real Madrid have the highest number of players on the list.
Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.