Which players have won the most European Cups/Champions Leagues? All-time ranking

There was an air of inevitability about Real Madrid winning their 15th European Cup/Champions League against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, and so it proved as they shrugged off a below-par first-half display to be crowned European champions once again thanks to second-half goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinícius Júnior.

Most soccer fans can tell you which clubs have won the most European Cups/Champions Leagues since the competition’s inception in 1956. However, fewer are likely to be intimately familiar with the ranking of the tournament’s most successful players.

Real Madrid dominate European Cup/Champions League honours list

With six winners’ medals, Real Madrid legend Paco Gento was the most decorated player in the history of the European Cup/Champions League for decades. Nicknamed the ‘Gale of the Cantabrian Sea’, Gento played his part in Los Blancos’ tournament triumphs in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1966.

Given that Madrid have won a record 15 European titles, it’s no surprise that the names at the very top of the all-time list have all turned out for Los Blancos. Gento has now been joined on six wins by current stars Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal and Nacho.

Alfredo Di Stéfano, Héctor Rial, José María Zárraga, Marcos Alonso, Rafael Lesmes and Juanito Alonso were all involved in five European Cup triumphs in the competition’s early years, while Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Casemiro, Isco and Marcelo all helped Los Blancos to five trophy wins in the Champions League era.

Madrid’s highest ever goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, also has five Champions Leagues to his name. The Portuguese starred in four of the Spanish club’s recent successes in the competition, having already lifted the trophy in 2008 with Manchester United.

There are also two AC Milan legends among the players with five European titles on their resumé. Defenders Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta were European Cup/Champions League winners with the Rossoneri in 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003 and 2007. In the last of those five, Costacurta had only a fringe role; Maldini, on the other hand, started in each of the quintet of finals. The pair were also runners-up on three occasions.

Four-time winners Seedorf and Eto’o in exclusive club

There are a number of players with four winners’ medals, many from the Madrid squads of 2014 to 2018. However, special mention should go to Clarence Seedorf and Samuel Eto’o, who are the only men who have lifted the Champions League title with three different clubs. Seedorf did so with Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan; Eto’o, with Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan.

Also among the group of players with four European titles are Barça greats Lionel Messi, Gerard Piqué, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta, who were victorious with the Blaugrana in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015.

The players with the most European Cups in history

The most successful players in the Champions League era