The 35-year old has won more trophies than Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs, Liverpool’s Kenny Dalglish or Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
The Champions League trophy
When one thinks of the most decorated footballers in the world, Ryan Giggs is possibly the first name that will enter people’s minds. His extraordinary longevity twinned with an era of dominance at Manchester United make him the ideal candidate to have a bulging trophy cabinet. And indeed he does; Giggs has won 34 trophies, the second most in European footballing history.
Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi is another player who may spring to mind, but the diminutive Argentine has won a total of 29 trophies, although time is very much on his side. Other obvious names include Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish (31), Manchester United forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (30) AC Milan hero Paolo Maldini (26) and Barcelona midfielder Xavi (25).
The correct answer is in fact PSG left-back Maxwell, who’s overall tally of 35 trophies is one more than Giggs’, and is likely to grow further before the Brazilian retires. Maxwell’s remarkable trophy haul includes league titles in Holland, Italy, Spain and France, as well as a Champions League win with Barcelona in 2011.
Maxwell is the most decorated player in European football
The Brazilian’s achievements appear to have gone rather under-the-radar, given that few would put him in the same bracket as a Giggs, Maldini or even Ibrahimovic. It is with league titles that Maxwell has arguably been most impressive, having won the league in nine of the last ten seasons, a record which is made up of 3 titles with Inter Milan, 2 with Barcelona and 4 with PSG.
It could be argued that Maxwell is in fact second, as Dynamo Kiev goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovskiy has technically won 36 trophies, although the reputability of both the CIS Cup and the Valeri Lobanovsky Memorial Tournament, one of which is now defunct and the other a youth tournament could be questioned.
In worldwide terms, one man beats Maxwell hands down – Hossam Hassan – who won 41 trophies over the course of his 22 year long career; 36 for club and 5 for country. The prolific striker won 169 caps for Egypt, scoring 69 goals and won trophies at club level with Al-Ahly, Al Ain and Zamalek.
Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs
Despite Maxwell’s mightily impressive total, he is unlikely to be top for long, with the likes of Dani Alves, Messi and Iniesta all not far behind. The PSG defender is 35 and probably has another 3 trophies in him if the French giants continue their domestic dominance.
Messi, meanwhile, is only 29, and has a number of years left at the highest level with a top club one would have thought. Dani Alves is four years older than his former Barcelona teammate, but with Juventus he should have guaranteed domestic glory over the next couple of years.
Looking ahead to the future, Neymar is possibly the outstanding candidate. Aged 24, the Brazilian sensation already has 15 trophies to his name. Thiago, Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller could all also reach exceptional figures. Thiago is currently on 22 trophies, Kroos on 15 and Muller on 14, aged 25, 26 and 27 respectively.
Neymar has already won 15 trophies
The reasons for Maxwell’s tremendous trophy count is far from difficult to understand, he has joined teams at the perfect time. He joined Inter, Barcelona and PSG during times of dominance, both domestically and (in the case of Barcelona) globally.
Maxwell is arguably a little underrated by the footballing world. He is always very popular with the supporters of the teams he plays for, showing unerring consistency and a defensive solidity that isn’t necessarily always associated with Brazilian full-backs.
Aged 35, the 10-time capped left-back is still getting regular game time at PSG, having played 5 times already this season. Whilst trophies have been guaranteed at PSG in the last few years, the club have lost two league games already this season, the same as the entirety of last season, and currently sit third in Ligue 1.
Who, if anyone, will overtake Maxwell as the most decorated player in European football?
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