10 Greatest Players Who Won the World Cup and Euros [Ranked]

For many a player making their first foray forward onto the European international stage, the dream of securing silverware by way of either the Euros or the coveted World Cup would be a tantalising one to imagine, let alone to accomplish.

However, some storied teams and remarkable players have been privileged and talented enough to have achieved that dream twice over, hoisting both the premier international accolades during their outstanding careers.

To win even one of those treasures, one must be an outstanding player, part of a thrilling footballing dynasty. To accomplish the feat of securing both, however, places footballers in the guise of footballing immortality.

To look at these players introspectively, below is a list ranking the best 10 of those historic players to pull off the staggering challenge of lifting both the Euros and the World Cup during their careers. The following factors were taken into consideration when putting this list together.

Ranking factors

• International achievements (honours, caps, goals etc.)
• Club achievements (honours, appearances, goals etc.)
• Individual awards
• Footballing legacy

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10 Iker Casillas

Career span: 1998-2020

One of the greatest goalkeepers to ever strap on a pair of gloves, Iker Casillas was a vital cog in the Spanish dynasty that won back-to-back European Championships, split with a World Cup win, between 2008 and 2012. Lauded for his outstanding athleticism and shot-stopping ability, ‘San Iker‘ is truly one of the game’s most well-regarded goalkeepers, and with very good reason.

Carving out the majority of his career with Spanish giants Real Madrid – with whom Casillas spent a remarkable 25 years – including his formative years in the academy, the Mostoles-born ‘keeper was heralded for his tremendous shot-stopping ability, as well as his fantastic degree of composure under pressure.

It’s hardly a wonder, then, to see the long list of accolades and accomplishments that Casillas left in his wake upon retirement with Porto in 2020. The iconic keeper recorded a staggering 23 trophies across his career, among them three Champions League titles and six league victories, as well as being named in the Team of the Year on 14 occasions amidst his 43 individual awards.

9 Sergio Ramos

Career span: 2003 – present

A defender with a terrifying blend of speed, intelligence and ferocity, Sergio Ramos has brought excellence to every avenue of his remarkable career. With his beginnings at Sevilla seeing him quickly thrust into a first team that qualified for the 05/06 UEFA Cup, it wasn’t long until Los Blancos came knocking and secured the services of the 19-year-old prospect.

The rest, that being an ever-present 16 years at Real Madrid, was history. A leader who was as ferocious as he was fearless, and as effective at scoring goals as he was at preventing them, Ramos and his tough nature became symbolic with the modern generation of the La Liga staple El Clasico against fierce rivals Barcelona.

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His stiff tackles and fiery moments saw him become the most carded player in La Liga history, with 191 being brandished above him during his time in Spain, similarly becoming immortalised in Real Madrid history, a time in which he recorded 22 trophies, including his contributions to the remarkable Champions League ‘3-peat’ between 2015 and 2018.

Another vital piece to the puzzle that saw Spain lift two Euros and one World Cup alongside Casillas, Ramos’ ability and fearlessness shines through even now, plying his trade for boyhood club Sevilla in the modern day.

8 Lothar Matthaus

Career span: 1978 – 2000

A Ballon d’Or recipient with over 150 caps for Germany/West Germany, Lothar Matthaus is one of the finest, and toughest, midfielders of yesterday’s generation. A product of Bavarian club FC Herzgenaurach, Matthaus spent 14 of his 22 years in football with giants Bayern Munich, where he won an outstanding 14 trophies, being heralded even now as one of the greatest midfielders in history.

In his career with the national team, initially for West Germany before the fall of the wall, he marked his international heritage with an immediate impact, being part of the 1980 contingency that lifted the Euros in Italy. His success story and quick rise to prominence would not end with that accolade, however, as West Germany made it to the final of both the 1982 and 1986 editions of the World Cup, losing both to Italy and Argentina, respectively.

His immortalisation as a winner of both heralded international accolades came finally in 1990 when Matthaus and West Germany made their way into a third straight World Cup final. The midfielder scored four goals on his way to getting revenge on Argentina in a World Cup final rematch. The Germans beat the Diego Maradona-led side 1-0 in Italy, where he plied his club trade at the time with Inter.

7 Patrick Vieira

Career span: 1993 – 2011

A midfielder who is often referred to as one of the Premier League’s best-ever, the Frenchman’s successes were just as impressive as his nature on and off the field. Arriving on English shores in 1996 and quickly being earmarked for his defensive prowess and unsuspecting calmness in possession, Patrick Vieira was a mainstay in an Arsenal midfield that witnessed much success.

It was through his Arsenal performances, during which he became a part of the famous ‘Invincibles’ in 2004, that his call-up to the French national team soon came. The Frenchman lifted the 1998 World Cup after his side bested Brazil in the final with a 3-0 win, in which Vieira assisted the final goal for compatriot Emmanuel Petit.

6 Andres Iniesta

Career span: 2000 – present

What would this list be without the man responsible for one of the greatest World Cup final performances, and moments, of all time? The world stopped turning for a brief moment when Andres Iniesta flashed home a 116th-minute dagger in the final against Holland back in 2010, winning his country’s first-ever World Cup.

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This capped off a performance in which he was named Man of the Match, wheeling away triumphantly whilst revealing a heartwarming message to late friend Dani Jarque. That performance would soon be followed by a remarkable tournament in the following Euros in 2012, wherein he won Man of the Match in four different matches, including the final. This was a resolute 4-0 win for Spain over Italy.

5 Xavi

Career span: 1997 – 2019

You can’t name Iniesta in a list without also including his partner in crime, Xavi. One of the silkiest midfielders the game has seen, or will ever see, Xavi’s range of passing and vitality in the midst of Barcelona’s prime brand of tiki-taka sees him rightly listed as one of the game’s best players.

Yet another component of the Spanish super-team that lifted two Euros and a World Cup, Xavi broke the record for the highest pass completion rate for a single Euros game in a 4-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in 2008, breaking a record last set by Ronald Koeman in 1992, before going on to win not only the trophy itself but also the Player of the Tournament award to go along with it.

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A world-class reader of the game and one of the shining examples of impactful midfield play, Xavi may not have been one to put up the goal numbers for himself, but those around him would never have managed to put up many more without his performance in the core of the team.

4 Franz Beckenbauer

Career span: 1964 – 1983

Nicknamed ‘der Kaiser’ (The Emperor) for good reason, the late Franz Beckenbauer was one of the most formidable opponents that the past generation of attackers could have ever faced. The only defender to have won the Balon Dor on two occasions, the man from Munich is one of the very few men to have won the World Cup as both a player and a manager.

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He lifted the globe’s trophy on the pitch in 1974, having won the European Championship just two years prior, and from the sidelines in 1990. It’s little wonder that Jurgen Klopp, upon receiving praise from Beckenbauer, felt he had been “knighted by the king” in 2019.

3 Gerd Muller

Career span: 1963–1981

One of the most prolific and talented forwards the game has ever seen, Gerd Muller’s prowess in front of goal has seen him named ‘the ultimate goal poacher’, carving out a legacy as one of the game’s most historical goal machines.

45 years on from his time in the league, he remains the Bundesliga’s highest-ever goalscorer, exceeding second-highest Robert Lewandowski’s goal haul by an impressive 53. His grace didn’t dwindle on the international stage either, scoring a remarkable 68 goals from his 63 caps for West Germany, including the winner over Johan Cruyff’s Netherlands side in the final in 1974. This followed a brace in the 1972 Euros final to lift both of the most prestigious international trophies.

Gerd Muller’s Career Stats
Appearances	675
Goals	638
Trophies	16

2 Thierry Henry

Career span: 1994 – 2014

Now a beloved pundit, Thierry Henry was once one of the most feared forwards the world has ever seen. He was equipped with a terrifying blend of precision, pace and prowess, matched with a devastating application to scoring and creating goals. The Frenchman is widely regarded as the best player in Premier League history.

Arriving at Arsenal following a frustrating spell at Juventus in 1999, albeit split with a World Cup win with France in 1998, Henry would spend eight years with The Gunners, becoming an Invincible in that time, as well as lifting the Euros in 2000, all the whilst leaving defenders of every category lying in his wake. In the Premier League alone, he lifted four Golden Boots and broke the single-season assist record with a tally of 20 in 02/03, a record that still stands to this day, albeit being levelled by Kevin de Bruyne.

Thierry Henry’s Career Stats
Appearances	794
Goals + Assists	531
Accolades	93

1 Zinedine Zidane

Career span: 1989 – 2006

World-renowned for his elegance, ball control and vision, there was only ever one option for the top spot in our list. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Zinedine Zidane had everything you could want from an attacking midfielder.

He was untouchable in the tightest of spaces. After establishing himself as one of the very best in the world at the time during his years at Juventus, it’s little surprise that Real Madrid saw fit to break the world transfer record to bring the 1998 Ballon d’Or winner to Spanish shores in 2001.

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Zidane’s exploits at club level carried over to his success in the Euros and World Cup, scoring a brace in the final of the latter to beat Brazil in his home nation, before a Player of the Tournament award beckoned following similar successes in France’s victory in Euro 2000. He scored a beautiful free-kick against Spain in the quarter-final and secured a Golden Goal against Portugal to send France to the final stage.

Zinedine Zidane’s Career Stats
Appearances	689
Goals + Assists	266
Accolades	99

All statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt.