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At the end of the day, football is a team sport and the success of players and teams is usually measured by the number of trophies they've won. It's hard to bring all footballers who play in various positions under one umbrella using most of the other metrics.
But then again, trophies are not an accurate measure of an individual's ability. We've seen plenty of bang-average players turn out and do a decent job for extremely successful teams. But the world we live in is obsessed with numbers and figures.
Creating hierarchies and rankings based on these figures is quite common in today's world. As football fans, even we give in to this trend. But even so, football fans would be curious to find out who the most successful or most decorated players are in the history of the sport.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who have won the most trophies in their careers (August 2022).
#5 Maxwell - 37 trophies
Former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona left-back Maxwell enjoyed a thoroughly successful football career. It all started with his Copa do Brazil triumph with Cruzeiro in 2000. The Brazilian continued to add trophies to his cabinet after securing a move to Ajax.
He won the league double in his first season with the Dutch giants. Maxwell then joined Inter Milan and was at the club for three years and won five trophies during that time. Maxwell's only Champions League title came during his subsequent stay with Barcelona.
He then joined Paris Saint-Germain and was part of the Ligue 1 giants as they thoroughly dominated the domestic competitions until his retirement in 2017. He won 15 trophies with PSG.
#4 Hossam Ashour - 39 trophies
Hossam Ashour might be the least recognizable name on this list for most football fans. Ashour never played in Europe and only ever made 14 appearances for the Egyptian national team in his international career.
He spent 17 years at Egyptian club Al Ahly and currently plays for Al Ittihad. The defensive midfielder has won 39 trophies in domestic and continental competitions.
All of his trohpies have come playing for Al Ahly and he holds the record for most trophies won by a player for a single club.
#3 Andres Iniesta - 39 trophies
Andres Iniesta is considered to be one of the greatest midfielders of all time. The Spaniard, who won the FIFA World Cup in 2010, was unstoppable in his prime and ran the show for Spain and Barcelona from midfield alongside Xavi Hernandez.
He was the man of the match in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, where he scored the winner in extra-time. Iniesta picked up the man of the match award in the Euro 2012 final as well. Iniesta has enjoyed an illustrious career and is currently plying his trade for Japanese club Vissel Kobe.
The legendary Spanish midfielder has won 39 trophies, 31 of which have come with Barcelona.
#2 Lionel Messi - 41 trophies
Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. He has won the Ballon d'Or, football's most prestigious individual prize, a record seven times. Messi has been a cut above the rest for almost the entirety of career and is still going strong at the age of 35.
He opened the scoring for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday in their 4-0 win over Nantes in the Trophees des Champions final. Messi rounded the goalkeeper before slotting the ball home to establish the lead for his side.
Messi ended the night with his 41st career trophy. This is a very good reflection of just how elite a player the legendary Argentinian forward has been.
#1 Dani Alves - 43 trophies
Brazilian right-back Dani Alves is the most decorated player in the history of football. The former Barcelona man is one of the best full-backs to have graced the game. His excellent technical ability and decision-making have made him a standout performer at both club and international level.
Alves has won a whopping 43 trophies in his senior footballing career. He has enjoyed success almost everywhere he has been at. Alves' major trophies include two Copa Americas, six La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, one Serie A title and two Ligue 1 titles.
