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Which Players Have Won the Champions League and the World Cup in the Same Season?

Which Players Have Won the Champions League and the World Cup in the Same Season?

In 1974, seven players from Bayern Munich’s all-conquering squad achieved a unique slice of history. They won the European Cup, the precursor to the Champions League, in May, before going on to claim World Cup glory in July – the legendary Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller amongst that magnificent seven.

Since then, only four players have gone on to emulate that remarkable feat: Christian Karembeu (Real Madrid and France, 1998), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid and Brazil, 2002), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid and Germany, 2014) and Raphael Varane (Real Madrid and France, 2018).

Could any Arsenal or PSG players join this exclusive club in 2026?

Playing the Percentages


If we agree that the betting lines are an accurate predictor of football tournaments, there’s a chance that a hatful of stars could add their names to the Champions League-World Cup winners rollcall this summer.

Those who bet on football odds for the Champions League will already be aware that PSG have been made the hot 4/6 favourites to lift the trophy, with Arsenal a respected underdog at 6/5.

And then, switching our focus to the World Cup, the bookmakers have France (5/1) and Spain (5/1) as their dual favourites.

It would be rather fitting if Ousmane Dembele, the Ballon d’Or winner in 2025, capped his personal success with more team glory. The 29-year-old was part of the PSG squad that won the Champions League last year, as well as featuring in France’s run to the World Cup trophy in 2018.



That’s an honour he shares with PSG teammate Lucas Hernandez; how they’d love to double up again in 2026.

Hoping to ruin the aspirations of his club teammates will be Fabian Ruiz, who is knocking very loudly on the door of a place in Spain’s squad for the World Cup. The 30-year-old faces some almighty competition, given the strength in depth of Spanish football, but helping the Parisians to the Champions League title might just help in that regard.

Other potential club inductees include Vitinha and Marquinhos, who are set to represent Portugal and Brazil respectively.

Underdog Story


Let’s play devil’s advocate and imagine that Arsenal upset the odds and win the Champions League final. They will certainly be well represented at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, with William Saliba expected to take his place at the heart of France’s defence.

David Raya will surely feature for Spain, while Martin Zubimendi and, to a lesser extent, Mikel Merino will still be hoping to gatecrash their squad.



Gabriel, meanwhile, will be a key part of Brazil’s hopes of a strong run at the tournament – he could even be joined by Gabriel Jesus, who has made Carlo Ancelotti’s preliminary roster.

Others with outside chances of joining the vaunted Champions League-World Cup club include Declan Rice (England), Leandro Trossard (Belgium) and Kai Havertz (Germany), while Norway are considered a very dangerous dark horse – Martin Odegaard will surely be instrumental in their chances.

So, there you have it: a stack of players that could yet achieve a unique piece of footballing history this summer.


World Cup 2026


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