12 players who have won the UEFA Champions League with multiple clubs
The UEFA Champions League is football biggest club competition and has continued to grow in stature since adopting the name in 1992. Previously referred to as the European Cup, the prized trophy is on offer every year, as Europe's cream of the crop battle it out to create history.
Since the competition's rebranding, several high profile players have graced the Champions League and got their hands on the trophy, while some genuinely iconic names have somehow missed out on the prize.
Usual suspects dominate Champions League era
In the UEFA Champions League era, the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United and Bayern Munich have all been regular features of the competition, while there have also been teams who have enjoyed underdog runs over the years.
Only 12 players have won the Champions League with multiple clubs, while there is just one player who has done so with three clubs in the modern era. On that note, here is the exhaustive list of all the players who have got their hands on the prize more than once since the competition's rebranding in 1992 in no particular order.
#12 Marcel Desailly | Marseille 1993, AC Milan 1994
Marcel Desailly is one of the greatest defenders of his generation and enjoyed a remarkable career for club and country. Having represented the likes of Marseille, AC Milan, Nantes and Chelsea, the central defender won a handful of trophies and was got his hands on the World Cup and the European Championships with France.
With regard to the Champions League, the Frenchman became the first player in the history of the competition to win it with multiple clubs, as he won it two seasons in a row with Marseille first and then with AC Milan.
Desailly retired in 2006 as one of the finest defenders France has ever produced.
#11 Paulo Sousa | Juventus 1996, Borussia Dortmund 1997
Paulo Sousa had quite the time in the late 90s, as he made a name for himself a reliable midfielder in the heart of a resolute Juventus team. The Portuguese international was one of the most underrated players of the Bianconeri team at the time, as they beat Ajax in the 1996 final to win the Champions League.
In the same summer, Sousa moved to Borussia Dortmund, where he would make history with the Bundesliga outfit again. He found himself playing in the Champions League final once again and became one of four players to win the competition back-to-back with different clubs.
Dortmund beat Sousa's former club Juventus in a historic game which saw Zinedine Zidane's marked out of the game by Paul Lambert. The 49-year-old is currently the manager of Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux.
#10 Didier Deschamps | 1993 Marseille, 1996 Juventus
Teammates with Marcel Desailly in 1993 with Marseille and Paulo Sousa in 1996 with Juventus, Didier Deschamps also won the Champions League with two different teams in the modern era.
Having represented several top clubs including the likes of Valencia and Chelsea, the Frenchman made a name for himself as a reliable presence in the heart of the midfield and was also lauded for his leadership qualities.
Deschamps featured in a staggering four Champions League final's with Marseille and Juventus and was also part of the Valencia squad that lost out to Bayern Munich in the 2001 final.
The 51-year-old is currently the manager of the French national team and won the World Cup as coach in 2018, having done so as a player in 1998.
#9 Edwin van der Sar | Ajax 1995, Manchester United 2008
Hailed as one of the great goalkeepers of his generation, Edwin van der Sar waited 13 years between his two Champions League victories — a fact that happens to shed light on his incredible longevity in the top level.
The Dutchman was a central figure of Louis van Gaal's impressive Ajax side that unearthed the likes of Clarence Seedorf and Patrick Kluivert amongst others, as he produced the goods consistently for the Eredivisie outfit.
Thirteen years after his first Champions League victory, Van der Sar was the hero on the night against Chelsea in the 2008 final. Nicolas Anelka's decisive spot-kick was saved by the Dutchman, as Manchester United prevailed in the all-English final at Moscow.
Also Read: Greatest UEFA Champions League XI of all-time