Can Rodri join football's most exclusive club? | OneFootball

In football, there are trophies that define careers, and then there are those that elevate players into an entirely different conversation.

The Ballon d'Or, the Champions League and the World Cup are the three biggest prizes in the game, and winning all of them is something only a handful of footballers have ever managed.

In fact, just ten players have completed the set. Rodri could soon become the 11th.

The Spain midfielder is only one win away from adding the World Cup to a trophy cabinet that already includes the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.

The 30-year-old played a decisive role in Manchester City's first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023, scoring the only goal of the final in a 1-0 win over Inter.

A year later came perhaps the biggest individual recognition of his career, as he lifted the Ballon d'Or. In doing so, Rodri became only the second Spanish player to win the award, after Luis Suárez Miramontes back in 1960.

Now, all Spain have to do is beat Argentina in Sunday's World Cup final for Rodri to join one of football's most exclusive clubs. If they're to get over the line, he'll almost certainly have a huge part to play, anchoring Luis de la Fuente's midfield and setting the tempo on both sides of the ball.

It's a role he's carried out brilliantly throughout the tournament. After spending months battling injuries, Rodri looks back to his best. His reading of the game, composure under pressure and ability to keep everything ticking over have once again made him one of Spain's most important players.

By this point, it's hard to argue against Rodri being one of the standout midfielders of his generation. And when it comes to the holding midfield role, he's already earned a place among the very best the game has seen.

A list full of legends

Only ten players have won the Ballon d'Or, the Champions League and the World Cup. Unsurprisingly, it's a list packed with some of the greatest names football has ever produced.

The most recent is Lionel Messi. The Argentine won a record eight Ballon d'Ors and four Champions League titles with Barcelona before finally completing the set by leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022, where he was also named the tournament's best player.

Zinédine Zidane is another member of the club. He won both the Ballon d'Or and the World Cup in 1998 as France lifted the trophy on home soil, before producing one of the most iconic moments in Champions League history with his stunning volley for Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 final.

Ousmane Dembélé is the other Frenchman on the list. A World Cup winner in 2018, he lifted his first Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain in 2025 before later adding the Ballon d'Or.

Brazil has more representatives than any other country.

Ronaldinho won the World Cup in 2002 before conquering Europe with Barcelona four years later. Between those triumphs came the Ballon d'Or, a fitting reward for one of the most entertaining footballers the sport has ever seen.

Kaká followed in 2007. Another member of Brazil's 2002 World Cup-winning squad, he inspired AC Milan to Champions League glory before winning the Ballon d'Or in the same year, becoming the last player to interrupt the Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era.

Rivaldo completes the Brazilian trio. He picked up the Ballon d'Or in 1999, won the World Cup in 2002 and added the Champions League with Milan a year later.

England's representative is Bobby Charlton. He won both the Ballon d'Or and the World Cup in 1966 before helping Manchester United become European champions in 1968, cementing his status as one of the country's greatest footballers.

Franz Beckenbauer also features on the list. One of the finest defenders the game has ever produced, the German won two Ballon d'Or awards, three consecutive European Cups with Bayern Munich and captained West Germany to World Cup success in 1974.

His team-mate Gerd Muller matched almost every one of those achievements. One of football's greatest goalscorers, Müller won the Ballon d'Or in 1970 and scored the winning goal in the 1974 World Cup final after already helping Bayern dominate Europe.

The final name is Paolo Rossi. The Italian striker was the star of the 1982 World Cup, winning both the tournament and the Ballon d'Or before completing the collection with the European Cup at Juventus in 1985.

Can Rodri make it 11?

Rodri has already won almost everything there is to win. If Spain can get past Argentina on Sunday, he'll join one of the most exclusive groups in football history.

Only ten players have ever managed it. Rodri is now just 90 minutes away from becoming the next.