Rodri has added the World Cup to his already glittering collection of trophies, joining a small, elite group of players who have won the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, and Ballon d'Or. Owen Bagnall asked: "Has anyone else 'completed football' like this?" The answer is yes, but the list is exclusive.
Previous players to complete the set
Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller were the first to achieve this feat on 7 July 1974, when West Germany beat the Netherlands in the World Cup final. Müller scored the winner. Both had won the European Cup with Bayern Munich in 1974 and the European Championship with West Germany in 1972. Müller won the Ballon d'Or in 1970, Beckenbauer in 1972.
Nearly 30 years later, Zinedine Zidane matched the achievement by winning the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2002, adding to his 1998 World Cup, 1998 Ballon d'Or, and 2000 European Championship.
Rivaldo joined the club in 2003 after winning the Copa América in 1999, the Ballon d'Or in 1999, the World Cup in 2002, and the Champions League in 2003, though he was an unused substitute in the final. Ronaldinho also claims the set, with a similar asterisk: he was an unused sub in the 1999 Copa América final, but won the World Cup in 2002, the Ballon d'Or in 2005, and the Champions League in 2006.
Lionel Messi completed the quartet with the 2006 Champions League (full role in 2009), the Ballon d'Or in 2009, the Copa América in 2021, and the World Cup in 2022.
Rodri's set includes the 2023 Champions League, 2024 Euros, 2024 Ballon d'Or, and the 2026 World Cup. Only Beckenbauer collected all four faster, within two years.
Women's game yet to see full set
No woman has achieved this yet, partly because the Ballon d'Or Féminin is only seven years old. Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí have won five between them, with Champions League and World Cup titles, but the next European Championship is in 2029. Megan Rapinoe won the Ballon d'Or Féminin in 2019, the World Cup, and the Concacaf W Championship, but no continental club championship exists for her region until 2024.
Most World Cup assists
Michael Ross asked about the most World Cup assists. Reliable data begins in 1966. The 2026 tournament set a new record for assists at one tournament: Michael Olise (France) with 7, surpassing Pelé's 6 in 1970. Others with 5 include Robert Gadocha (1974), Pierre Littbarski (1982), Diego Maradona (1986), and Thomas Hässler (1994).
All-time assists leader (since 1966) is Lionel Messi with 12 (2006-2026), followed by Diego Maradona with 8 (1982-1994). Players with 7 include Grzegorz Lato, Pierre Littbarski, and Michael Olise. For England, David Beckham leads with 6, followed by Harry Kane with 4.
Ballon d'Or winners with fewest caps
Steve Richards noted Kevin Keegan's 63 caps seemed low. However, early winners had fewer: Luis Suárez (Spain, 32 caps), Igor Belanov (USSR, 33), George Best (Northern Ireland, 37). The lowest is Omar Sívori (1961 winner) with 19 caps for Argentina and 9 for Italy, total 28. Alfredo Di Stéfano (multiple winner) had 41 caps for three countries. Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten had 48 and 58 caps respectively.
What happens to World Cup balls
Jonathan Wilson asked in 2014 about the 3,240 match balls used. According to a FIFA spokesperson: "The balls are used after a tournament for souvenirs for the teams and referees, host cities, FIFA partners and the FIFA museum." Adidas added that used matchballs are given to marketing teams in participating countries, who then run social media giveaways.
