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One of the many factors that make the Premier League such an intriguing watch is the fact that it is almost impossible to pick a winner at the start of a new season.
Although only seven different clubs have won the title since the inaugural Premier League season in 1992-93, their wins have been spread out in a wonderfully erratic fashion, with titles sometimes being decided on the last day of the season.
The likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal garnered the majority of the titles in the early years, while Manchester City have made a late surge up the charts of late.
However, the fact Liverpool had to wait till 2020 to claim their first Premier League title, and the memorable charges to title-winning glory from Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City, remind us that nothing can be taken for granted.
While winning the Premier League is considered by many to be the pinnacle of a footballer’s career, winning it more than once is quite rare. And dividing those multiple wins across stints with more than one club is even more unique - so unique, in fact, that only 11 players have managed to do so in the competition’s 28-year history.
With Liverpool’s remarkable title win in the recently concluded 2019-20 season, James Milner became only the 11th player to win the Premier League with two different clubs.
Let’s take a look at the others who have managed to achieve this incredible feat.
11. Mark Schwarzer (Chelsea & Leicester City)
We start this illustrious list as one would any team sheet, with the goalkeeper. Mark Schwarzer’s inclusion in this list of players might come as a surprise to many, but the manner in which he makes the cut and the achievements that come along the way make for truly remarkable reading.
The veteran Australian shot-stopper had just one trophy in his entire playing career as he entered his 40s, and was 42 when he won his first Premier League trophy with Chelsea in the 2014-15 season.
Not content with that, Schwarzer then followed that up with another Premier League title the very next season after joining Leicester City, becoming the first player in the Premier League era to win titles in consecutive seasons with two different clubs.
However, the most astonishing detail about Schwarzer’s success between 2014 and 2016 is the fact that he did not play a single game in either title-winning season!
While his spell at Chelsea was spent as an understudy to Thibaut Courtois, his stint as Leicester saw him occupy the No. 2 spot behind Kasper Schmeichel.
Even so, such was his popularity in the dressing room that Jose Mourinho made sure that Schwarzer received a replica medal and was invited to the celebration meal for his contribution towards Chelsea’s success.
10. Robert Huth (Chelsea & Leicester City)
Another who achieved success with Chelsea and Leicester City, albeit with a substantial gap between them, was the giant German central defender Robert Huth, who book-ended a lengthy spell playing in English football by lifting the Premier League title.
Huth was a part of Jose Mourinho’s title-winning Chelsea sides in the 2004-05 and the 2005-06 seasons, and largely acted as a back-up to John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, and William Gallas. However, having featured 10 and 13 times respectively, he deservingly picked up winners’ medals both times.
After leaving Chelsea, Huth spent the next decade plying his trade at Middlesbrough and Stoke. It looked like his title-winning days were well behind him, which is why his move to Leicester City in 2014 did not come with much fanfare.
Well into his 30s, Huth formed a rock-solid partnership in the heart of the Foxes’ defence with Wes Morgan and played a dominant role in their remarkable title-winning run in the 2015-16 season.
Chipping in with a few vital goals over the course of 35 appearances, there were no question marks over his contribution this time around, 10 years on from his success at Chelsea.
9. Nicolas Anelka (Arsenal & Chelsea)
Nicolas Anelka enjoyed a long, storied and goal-laden career, having turned out for the likes of Real Madrid, PSG, Juventus, and Fenerbahce, among other big names. His English clubs make for similarly impressive reading - not many footballers can boast Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City (not to forget spells at Bolton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion) on their CV.
During his time in England, Anelka scored 126 goals, won the title with Arsenal and Chelsea, and nearly added a third when his Liverpool side ended the 2001-02 season as runners-up.
The Frenchman’s two title wins are separated by the longest gap of any player included in this list - his first came with the Gunners in 1998, while his second arrived 12 years later with Chelsea in 2010.
Unsurprisingly, Anelka played a key role in both title triumphs, scoring key goals including a brace in the final day victory over Wigan Athletic that secured Chelsea’s status as Premier League champions.
8. Gael Clichy (Arsenal & Manchester City)
A relatively unknown part of Arsenal’s famous ‘Invincibles,’ Clichy spent the 2003-04 season as understudy to Ashley Cole, who also finds a mention further down on this list.
The French left-back was just 18 when he won the league with the Gunners, making 12 appearances on his way to becoming one of the youngest recipients of a Premier League winners’ medal in the league’s history.
He then stepped into the role of first-choice left-back after Cole’s acrimonious departure to Chelsea in 2006 before himself ditching Arsenal for pastures new in 2011.
Having joined Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City in 2011, Clichy added another Premier League title to his trophy cabinet, playing 90 minutes in City’s famous 3-2 win over QPR that secured their first league title in 44 years.
He added another Premier League win with the Cityzens in 2014 before moving on. His appetite for titles has not diminished, however, as he recently became a Turkish champion with Istanbul Basaksehir this year.
7. Kolo Toure (Arsenal & Manchester City)
Toure is another who walked the well-trodden path from the Emirates to the Etihad, trading the red of Arsenal for the blue of Manchester City in 2009. The Ivorian was a near ever-present in Arsenal’s famed ‘Invincibles’ squad as the Gunners lifted the Premier League title at the end of the 2003-04 season.
His second domestic crown came alongside fellow Invincible Gael Clichy at Manchester City in 2012. In fact, if Liverpool had accrued just a couple more points in the 2013-14 season, Toure might have ended up with three winners’ medals from three different Premier League clubs.
Despite featuring heavily in Arsenal’s successful campaign in 2003-04, Toure gradually fell out of favour in London and became one of City’s first signings in 2009, following their new injection of cash.
He was given the captain’s armband in his first season, but by the time City finally lifted the trophy in 2012, Toure’s role had been reduced to that of experienced understudy to Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott. However, his 14 appearances were enough to land him another Premier League winner’s medal, 8 years on from his success at Arsenal.
After Liverpool’s near-miss two years later, Toure followed his Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers to Celtic, where he won the Scottish Premiership before joining Rodgers’ backroom staff at Leicester City.
6. Henning Berg (Blackburn Rovers & Manchester United)
Next up, we have the man who started it all - the very first player to win the Premier League with two different clubs was Norwegian defender Henning Berg. Although most well-known for his time with Manchester United, Berg played every game in Blackburn Rovers’ win in 1995-95 before lifting a further two titles with the Red Devils in 1999-00 and 2000-01.
Having arrived in England as a 23-year-old from Lillestrom in 1993, Berg formed an excellent centre-back partnership with Colin Hendry and started 40 of Rovers’ 42 matches under Kenny Dalglish in their victorious 1994-95 season, pipping Manchester United to the top spot.
So when Sir Alex Ferguson needed defensive reinforcements in 1997, he knew exactly where to look - Berg arrived at Old Trafford for £5m, at the time a joint British transfer record for a defender.
His time in Manchester was a success as he lifted two more Premier League titles in successive years before eventually moving back to Blackburn.
Such was Berg’s bond with Blackburn that he even returned to the club as its manager in 2012 but was not able to replicate the success of his playing days at Ewood Park.
5. Carlos Tevez (Manchester United & Manchester City)
While winning the Premier League with two different clubs is a rare feat, doing so with clubs that are as bitter rivals as Manchester United and Manchester City is almost unheard of. And yet, that is exactly what Carlos Tevez managed to do during his time in England as he won Premier League titles with both Manchester clubs.
Tevez first caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson after scoring an unlikely winner at Old Trafford for West Ham in the 2006-07 season. A complicated two-year loan deal was arranged, with the Argentine contributing 14 goals in 34 matches in his first season as the Red Devils topped the Premier League table and won the Champions League as well.
Another title followed next season as the attacking quartet of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, and Tevez struck fear into the heart of opposing defences. However, a permanent deal could not be agreed at United, with Tevez switching allegiances to the blue half of Manchester
Another Premier League title followed for Tevez as he made 13 appearances in the 2011-12 season that culminated in City’s famous 3-2 win over QPR on the final day.
Tevez proceeded to leave City for Juventus in 2013, adding two domestic titles in Italy as well as three more back home with Boca Juniors.
4. Ashley Cole (Arsenal & Chelsea)
Yet another Invincible to make this list, Ashley Cole’s fractious move across London from Arsenal to Chelsea in 2006 still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of many an Arsenal fan.
In happier times, however, Cole helped the Gunners win two Premier League titles, one in the 2001-02 season followed by the legendary undefeated campaign on 2003-04.
After a lengthy transfer saga in the summer of 2006, Cole signed for Chelsea in a deal that saw William Gallas go the other way.
Somewhat surprisingly, the 2009-10 Premier League title was the only one Cole won at Stamford Bridge. However, it arrived as part of a league and FA Cup double, which no doubt made it sweeter.
The Englishman would go on to lift every domestic trophy for the Blues, adding the Champions League and the Europa League for good measure.
3. James Milner (Manchester City & Liverpool)
The most recent member of this exclusive club, Milner’s Premier League title win with Liverpool comes 6 years on from the second of his two successes at Manchester City.
The Yorkshireman has enjoyed a hugely distinguished career with spells at Leeds United, Aston Villa and Newcastle United preceding his move to Manchester City. Milner’s first Premier League title came in 2011-12, and he repeated the feat in 2013-14 before moving to Liverpool in 2015.
A hugely versatile player, Milner has proved to be Mr Reliable for every coach he has ever played for. His adaptability was on full display at City, where he was played across midfield, as a full-back, and even as an emergency striker in the course of their two title wins.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp also relies on Milner’s experience and versatility, and used him as a stand-in left-back at times in the 2019-20 season. The Englishman featured in 21 Premier League matches en route to winning the title, even captaining the side on three occasions and showing no signs of slowing down even at the age of 34.
2. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City & Manchester City)
Before James Milner made the cut this season, Riyad Mahrez was the most recent member of this exclusive club, having played a starring role in Leicester City’s fairytale Premier League title win in 2015-16 before lifting the trophy again with Manchester City in 2019.
The Algerian’s performance in the 2015-16 season will go down in history as one of the best individual performances in Premier League history. The previously unheralded winger scored 17 goals in 37 appearances over the course of the season, winning the PFA Player of the Year award and finishing seventh in the Ballon d’Or nominations.
Two more seasons in the East Midlands followed before Mahrez sealed a move to Manchester City in 2018. He chipped in with 7 goals for Per Guardiola’s men as they sealed yet another Premier League title on the final day of the 2018-19 season, justifying his switch to the Etihad.
The Algerian remains one of several sparkling weapons in Guardiola’s artillery as the Cityzens look to repeat their title-winning heroics once again.
1. N’Golo Kante (Leicester City & Chelsea)
Several players have played out their entire careers without getting their hands on the Premier League title, but N’Golo Kante had been in England three years before he finally finished a season without lifting the coveted trophy.
Kante joined the Foxes as a virtual unknown in 2015 from Ligue 1 outfit Caen and enjoyed a dream start to life in England. He was instrumental in Leicester’s title run in the 2015-16 season, prompting Chelsea to pay £32m for his services in 2016.
The French international proved to be an inspired signing as he helped Chelsea to the title in the 2016-17 season and cementing his reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in world football.
Although the 2017-18 season was the first in England that Kante did not finish as a Premier League champion, he added the FA Cup to his growing trophy cabinet before achieving World Cup glory with France in 2018.
Although injury problems have hampered the lovable Frenchman in recent years, he and his Chelsea side will be looking forward to more titles in the upcoming seasons.
