Most successful football players of all time: Top 10 most decorated footballers in history

Football remains the most widely followed sport across the globe, drawing people in not just through spectacle but through the emotional pull that comes with lifting trophies and achieving success at the highest level.

For certain players, those moments arrive more often, largely because their careers have unfolded at clubs where winning is expected rather than hoped for.

Many of the game's most celebrated figures earned their medals by playing decisive roles in dominant teams, setting standards and shaping memorable triumphs.

Others reached the same heights in a different way, contributing within squads filled with established stars, where consistency and reliability were just as valuable as individual brilliance.

Either path reflects how success in football can be achieved, whether through leadership on the pitch or through supporting roles inside teams built to win, and here Sports Mole ranks the 10 most decorated footballers in history.

10. Maxwell (33 trophies)

Maxwell started his trophy-winning career by lifting the Brazilian Cup with boyhood club Cruzeiro in his first year as a professional footballer in 2000, and the left-back went on to win another 32 trophies for a number of elite European sides.

Maxwell helped win numerous trophies with Ajax, lift the Serie A three times with Inter Milan, win every possible trophy with Barcelona and dominate French football with Paris Saint-Germain.

The left-back eventually retired in 2017, Maxwell was the most decorated active player in Europe with 33 trophies.

9. Cristiano Ronaldo (34 trophies)

Ronaldo is one of the best footballers to have ever played the game, and his trophy cabinet certainly backs up that fact, having lifted a mass of trophies for several clubs throughout his career.

The Portuguese legend has most notably lifted five Champions League trophies - one for Manchester United and four for Real Madrid - while he has won numerous other titles in England and Spain, as well as for Sporting Lisbon, Juventus and Al Nassr.

Ronaldo has also won a European Championship and two Nations League trophies with Portugal, taking his total tally to 34 trophies.

8. Ryan Giggs (35 trophies)

Giggs was part of one of the most dominant dynasties in football history, lifting every possible trophy as Manchester United dominated English football under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Giggs, who stayed at Man Utd for his entire career, won a staggering 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, four FA Cups, four league cups and several other trophies, eventually retiring with 35 trophies to his name.

7. Gerard Pique (37 trophies)

Pique enjoyed the success of playing for Manchester United, Barcelona and Spain during dominant periods for all three teams, eventually retiring with a sensational 37 career trophies.

The central defender won a Premier League, League Cup and Champions League in England, followed by nine La Liga trophies, seven Spanish cups and another three Champions League trophies, among many others.

For Spain, Pique won one World Cup and European Championship, marking him as one of the most successful players of all time.

6. Sergio Busquets (38 trophies)

Busquets is widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of all time, certainly in the modern era of football, and his trophy cabinet backs that claim up.

The Spaniard won a staggering 32 trophies while playing for Barcelona between 2008 and 2023, including three Champions League trophies and nine La Liga titles, while also lifting the World Cup and European Championship for Spain during that period.

Busquets has since left Barcelona for Inter Miami, where he has won the Supporters' Shield, Leagues Cup, Eastern Conference and MLS Cup trophies, taking his trophy tally to 38.

Busquets' appearance in the MLS Cup final, which Inter Miami won 3-1 against the Vancouver Whitecaps, marked his final match in professional football, having announced he would be hanging up his boots at the end of 2025 earlier this year.

5. Andres Iniesta (38 trophies)

Iniesta lifted every possible trophy for both club and country in a sensational senior career than spanned from 2002 to his eventual retirement in 2024.

Iniesta won nine La Liga's, four Champions Leagues, seven Spanish Super Cups and six Spanish Cups for Barcelona, while also lifting a World Cup and two European Championships during that time for Spain.

The midfielder picked up another handful of trophies after leaving Barcelona for Vissel Kobe, taking his total to 38 trophies.

4. Hossam Ashour (39 trophies)

Ashour became one of the most decorated players of all time during a phenomenal period playing for Al Ahly between 2003 and 2020.

The midfielder lifted 13 Egyptian Premier League titles, four Egyptian Cups, six CAF Champions Leagues and several other trophies to take his overall trophy haul to a superb 39.

3. Hossam Hassan (40 trophies)

Hassan is regarded as one of the best players in African football history, boasting one of the biggest trophy cabinets of all time as well as still being Egypt's all-time top scorer.

Hassan won 24 trophies during his time at Al Ahly - including 10 league titles - one trophy for Al Ain and 10 trophies for Zamalek.

The Egyptian also earned silverware with his country, lifting two African Cup of Nations trophies, one Arab Nations Cup and one All-African Games trophy, taking his total to 40 throughout his career.

2. Dani Alves (43 trophies)

Another Brazilian full-back to have become one of the most successful players in football history, Alves lifted a stunning 43 trophies during his career.

Lifting a trophy for Bahia, five trophies for Sevilla, 23 trophies for Barcelona - including three Champions League titles - two trophies for Juventus, five for Paris Saint-Germain and one for Sao Paulo, Alves had one of the most successful club careers ever.

The Brazilian also lifted the Olympic trophy, two Copa Americas and two Confederations Cups for his country, taking his tally to 43.

1. Lionel Messi (46 trophies)

At the top of the list, unsurprisingly, is the man widely regarded to be the best footballer to have ever lived, the legendary Messi.

Not only has Messi lifted a record eight Ballons d'Or, but the Argentinian has had unmatched success for both club and country, winning a total of 46 trophies, and counting.

Messi won every trophy possible, from the World Cup to La Liga (10), Ligue 1 (two) and the Champions League (four), before ending his time in Europe by moving to Inter Miami in the United States, where his success has only continued.

Messi guided Inter Miami to the Leagues Cup in 2023, the Supporters' Shield in 2024 and, most recently, the Eastern Conference Title and MLS Cup.