Ranking the 5 greatest players to win both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League
Playing in the UEFA Champions League is a dream come true for a footballer, let alone the pleasure of winning it. Over time, getting to participate in the tournament has only gotten tougher.
It so happens that after intensely fighting for a Champions League spot, teams are knocked out of the group stages into the Europa League. Although frustrating, the Europa League has its own charm.
Top players have won both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League
There is no doubt that winning the UEFA Champions League is a massive task. And even though the Europa League involves lesser-known teams, top clubs have struggled to win it.
There are sides who have won both the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League. In the process, some great players have had the honor to win both these trophies. On that note, here we rank five of the greatest players to win both the European honors during their careers:
#5 Juan Mata (Chelsea & Manchester United)
Ever since his move to England in 2011, Juan Mata has been a valuable player in the Premier League. His time at Chelsea was a memorable one as he won the FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League with the Blues.
His amazing vision and incisive passing have been a delight to watch. Using his sweet left-foot, Mata has been very creative in attack. He joined Manchester United in 2013 and has been with them ever since. The Spaniard won the UEFA Europa League with the Red Devils as well in the 2016-17 season.
Juan Mata in all competitions for Chelsea 2012/13:
Premier League: 35 games - 28 G/A
Champions League: 5 games - 6 G/A
Europa League: 8 games - 6 G/A
FA Cup: 6 games - 6 G/A
EFL Cup: 5 games - 6 G/A
52 goal contributions in 59 games.
That is sensational. https://t.co/gBDY7GFp2d
Mata remains the only player on the list to have won the UEFA Europa League twice. Even though Manchester United are struggling right now, the 33-year-old is the only player on the list with a chance of technically winning the UEFA Champions League once again.
#4 John Terry (Chelsea)
The Chelsea legend is arguably one of the best defenders of his generation. John Terry led the Blues gracefully in the early days of the Roman Abramovich era and was a key factor in their success.
His time with the London club resulted in a number of achievements. Notably, he won five Premier League titles, five FA Cup trophies, one UEFA Champions League trophy and one UEFA Europa League title. Terry led by example and was significantly instrumental in achieving these accolades.
John Terry’s Chelsea career by numbers:
717 games
5 FA Cup
5 Premier League
3 League Cup
1 Champions League
1 Europa League
78 England caps and a play-off run with Aston Villa to add. 👏 https://t.co/FqqZDletl9
Of course, his penalty miss in the 2007-08 Champions League final against Manchester United was a painful one but he came back strongly. Terry's strong defending at the back combined with his leadership skills were the hallmark of his Chelsea career.