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Europe is home to the top footballing leagues and nations on the planet. Italy, England, France, Germany, and Spain all boast clubs with immeasurable firepower and defensive acumen, which allow them to go toe-to-toe in the Champions League.
Footballers, who are lucky to ply their trade in Europe, are seldom satisfied with the exposure they get in a single footballing league. This is why many tend to jump from one country to another, hoping to cement their place further in history.
Today, we will be taking a look at the five greatest players in the history of football who have played in three or more countries. They may not have been successful in all of these countries, but their status in world football remains unaffected to this day.
Now, without further ado, let us check out the
top 5 players who have featured in at least 3 renowned European leagues
Special mention: David Beckham, Samuel Eto’o, Arjen Robben, Thiago Silva, George Weah
#5 Dani Alves (La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1)
Former Barcelona right-back Dani Alves is the most decorated player in the history of the sport. The Brazilian full-back, who won 2021 Olympic gold with his country, has accumulated 43 trophies over the course of his career.
He played for La Liga side Sevilla between 2002 and 2008. In his final season, Sevilla agreed to sell him to Liverpool, but Barcelona came swooping in. A €26.75million deal went through and Barcelona got themselves a versatile defender on the right. Over the next eight seasons, he won 23 trophies with the club, including six La Ligas and three Champions Leagues. In 2016, he moved to Juventus, won the Serie A, and joined Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season.
His stay in Paris lasted for two seasons, in which he won six trophies, including two Ligue 1 titles.
#4 Ronaldinho (Ligue 1, La Liga, Serie A)
Ronaldinho was a man of many talents and arguably the most skillful player the world has ever seen. He could beat any defender on his day and had the unique ability to make even opposition fans fall in love with his football.
The Brazilian trickster first came into the spotlight at Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. He spent two seasons at the club, between 2001 and 2003, and was easily their most impressive player. He got in trouble due to his love for partying but that did not stop him from sealing a €30million move to Barcelona in 2003.
He enjoyed his best spell in La Liga, winning the 2005-06 Champions League, two La Liga titles and two Spanish Super Cups. After his five-season spell at Barcelona, he joined AC Milan in 2008 for €22 million plus bonuses. The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner won the Serie A title in 2010-11 with the Italian giants.
#3 Zinedine Zidane (Ligue 1, Serie A, La Liga)
One of the greatest midfielders in the history of the sport, Zinedine Zidane plied his trade in France, Italy, and Spain over his 17-year career. After earning his graduation cap from Cannes, Zidane played in the senior team for four seasons. His skillset compelled Bordeaux to make an offer in 1992 and the player obliged. In 1996, Zidane was chosen as Ligue 1’s Player of the Year.
In the summer of 1996, Zidane moved to Champions League holders Juventus and was chosen as Serie A’s Best Foreign Player in his first season. Six trophies followed over the next five seasons, with Zidane playing a crucial role in each one of them.
Finally, Real Madrid came calling in 2001 and signed the player for €77.5 million - a world-record fee until Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid from Manchester United for €94 million in 2009. He led the club to the Champions League the same season and won them the league title the next campaign. Upon amassing six trophies for Real Madrid and 14 in total, Zidane retired from club football at the end of the 2005-06 campaign.
#2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1)
Widely revered as one of the most influential strikers in world football, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the personification of aspiration and quality. Zlatan has played at Premier League’s Manchester United, Serie A’s AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan; La Liga’s Barcelona, and Ligue 1’s Paris Saint-Germain. He is the only player on our list to play in four top European leagues and pitch in with valuable contributions.
His Juventus spell lasted between 2004 and 2006. Ibrahimovic was an important member of the team and won two consecutive league titles. Unfortunately, both were revoked by the federation following Juventus’ Calciopoli scandal. Next came Inter, who signed the striker for €24.8 million in 2006. The Swedish footballer won three consecutive league titles with Inter before joining Barcelona in 2009. He won La Liga with the Spanish giants before returning to Italy with AC Milan.
Another Serie A title later, he signed for Ligue 1’s PSG and won four league titles amongst other trophies. A surprising move to Manchester United followed in 2016, where he won the Europa League, the League Cup and the FA Community Shield.
Zlatan, who has scored over 500 goals in his career, is currently enjoying his third spell with AC Milan in Italy.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A)
Manchester United great, Real Madrid record-goalscorer, and Juventus’ most lethal striker; it is fair to say that Cristiano Ronaldo has successfully conquered Europe. He has been a smashing hit in all three top European leagues he has played in, winning a total of five Champions Leagues in the process.
He played in the Premier League for six seasons between 2003 and 2009, winning a total of nine trophies with Manchester United. The 2008 Ballon d’Or winner then joined Spanish giants Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, signing a six-year contract for €94 million.
He established himself as one of the best in the world, leading the club to two La Ligas and four Champions Leagues amongst other trophies. Four more Ballons d’Or later, he completed a €100 million transfer to Italian side Juventus. After winning a couple of Serie A titles and a Golden Boot, he has chosen to return to Manchester United in England.
His re-debut for Manchester United is one of the most highly-anticipated events in football history and we cannot wait to see it unfold this weekend.
