UCL LIBERTADORES
Which players have won the Champions League and the Libertadores?
David Luiz is the latest to join this select club of 12 made up of nine Brazilians and three Argentines.
Gabriel Barbosa’s goal against Athletico Paranaense gave Flamengo its third Copa Libertadores and this saw his teammate David Luiz join an exclusive club of footballers who have won the South American trophy and the UEFA Champions League.
David Luiz joins decorated dozen
Only 12 players in history can boast of having won both prestigious titles, nine Brazilians and three Argentines. Luiz won the Champions League in 2012 with Premier League club Chelsea and a decade later he has now added the Copa Libertadores to his honours list, which also includes two Europa League titles, also won with the London side.
Sorin doubles up in same season
One curious case of the double decorated dozen is that of the Argentinian Juan Pablo Sorín, the first player to win both trophies and who won them in the same year, in 1996. Transferred by River, Sorín began the 1995-96 season with Juventus, where he barely played. He featured in only five games, including the 45 minutes he played against Borussia Dortmund in the group stage of a Champions League, en route to the Italian club lifting the trophy.
In January 1996 he was loaned back to River, with whom he won the Copa Libertadores a few months later. Despite having intervened in only half a game, that Champions League medal was handed over to Sorín.
Tevez, Cafú, Neymar, Ronaldinho...
Carlos Tevez, winner of the Libertadores in 2003 with Boca and the Champions League in 2008 with Manchester United, and Walter Samuel, champion of South America with Boca (2000) and of Europe with Inter (2010), they are the other two Argentines who belong to this exclusive club.
Along with David Luiz, eight other Brazilians have lifted the two trophies: Cafú (São Paulo, 1992 and 1993 and Milan, 2007); Danilo (Santos, 2011 and Real Madrid, 2016 and 2017); Dida (Cruzeiro, 1997 and Milan, 2003 and 2007), Neymar (Santos, 2011 and Barcelona, 2015); Rafinha (Bayern Munich, 2013 and Flamengo, 2019), Ronaldinho (Barcelona, 2006 and Atlético Mineiro, 2013), Roque Júnior (Palmeiras, 1999 and Milan, 2003) and Ramires (Chelsea, 2012 and Palmeiras, 2020).