With the Euros recently taking place in 2021 and the Qatar World Cup soon to take place this year, many are looking forward to it.
There will be 32 teams competing yet again for the trophy, and hundreds of players hoping that they will get to lift it.
However, for some players entering international tournaments, they have already won one before or the other.
Which in this case would be the Euros.
This got me thinking, who exactly has won both the World Cup and Euros.
To win one is hard in it itself so you can only imagine how hard a task doing the double is.
So you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that from a list I have made of winners of both trophies its fairly short.
In this post, I will take you through all 46 footballers who were fortunate to be on the World Cup and Euro-winning platform between 1990 and now.
Table of Contents
Germany 1990 and 1996 Winners
To start with we begin with the German internationals who won the 1990 World Cup in Rome and then the 1996 Euros in England.
Being English myself these aren’t great tournaments to look back on, as England was knocked out by Germany on both occasions.
However, if there is any consultation at least we were beaten by the eventual winners.
Now since the tournament was 6 years apart from each other only a few players were around that time to make both tournaments.
In total there were six players who won both which I will talk about now.
1. Andreas Kopke – Goalkeeper
Andreas Kopke was a key keeper who raised both trophies and enjoyed a long career that saw him playing in four decades.
A pivotal moment that England fans will remember is his sudden death penalty save in the 1990 semi-final, which sent his country to the final.
2. Jurgen Kohler – Centre Back
Jurgen Kohler played 500 career games starting with Waldhof Mannheim in 1982 and finishing with Borussia Dortmund in 2002.
At the time Kohler was one of the best center-backs going, he was Sharpe, resolute, and read the game to a high degree.
So its deserving that in his final tournament appearance for Germany that he won the 1996 Euros.
3. Stefan Reuter – Centre Back
Stefan Reuter was a well versatile player to win both titles. Playing for Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich the German was lucky enough to win most trophies on offer to a player.
From the World Cup and Euros to 3 Bundesliga titles and a Champions League is a set of triumphs that footballers would dream of.
4. Thomas Hasler – Centre Attacking Midfielder
Thomas Hasler was regarded as a attacking playmaker with world class abilities across the board.
Not only did the german midfielder have an eye for a pass, but he had two great feet. He was also blessed with tremendous pace.
He started his career with Koln in 1984 before bringing it to an end with Austrian club SV Salzburg.
In total he made 539 appearances scoring 81 goals in total over his impressive 30-year career.
5. Andreas Moller – Attacking Midfielder
Andreas Moller is currently part of the youth set up with Eintract Frankfurt the side he spent three spells of his career at.
The Frankfurt-born German was dubbed as one of the best of his time, and was lethal in the final third scoring 129 goals at club level.
He also made 85 appearances for Germany between 1988 and 1999.
6. Jurgen Klinsmann – Striker
One of the most recognized footballers within the two German teams to win the Euros and World Cup in the ’90s is Striker Jurgen Klinsmann.
The forward who appears regularly on the TV has a pundit, had a decorated career spanning 22 years all over the world.
From playing for Stuttgart for 5 years in the late eighties where he scored 79 times to playing in England and US in his later days.
The striker was formidable in front of goal, scoring 232 in 514 at club level, aswell as 47 in 108 international games. Making it nearly a goal every other game which is insane.
France 1998 and 2000 Winners
Following Germany’s triumphs, France was the next team to win both the Euros and World Cup in close succession.
In fact, they won the pair in two years, achieving the World Cup in 1998 and then the Euros in 2000.
Since France’s two wins were so close together, the majority of the squad stayed the same as many of the players were part of the same generation.
In this section, we look at all those who won both of them.
1. Marcel Descailly – Centre Half
Nicknamed ‘The Rock’ Marcel Descailly played a huge role in the center of the defense during their domination of the late ’90s and early ’00s.
Descially appeared 116 times for his country,
Two of those international appearances were made in both finals in which he started alongside two other French legends Lillian Thuram and Laurent Blanc.
However, it was in the 1998 final where he famously got sent off in the 68th minute.
Despite putting his team in jeopardy they went on to finish the game-winning on home soil.
2. Lillian Thuram – Centre Half
Legendary french defender Lullian Thuram currently holds the french record of most appearances for country with 142.
Thuram was a very strong and bullish footballer, who was great with his feet. The Frenchman played predominantly as a center-half however was great at right-back too.
He alongside Marcel Descailly and Laurent Blanc formed a brick wall in the french defense, with them only conceding two goals in the 1998 World Cup.
An interesting fact about Thuram who has a son currently playing for Borussia Monchundgladbach called Marcus is that he only scored two goals for his country.
Both goals came in France’s semi-final win against Croatia, whose only goals sent them through to the final.
3. Laurent Blanc – Centre Half
One of the best players to put a France shirt Laurent Blanc decided to retire from international football after winning the Euro 2000.
Despite a lot of scrutiny towards the end of his career around his sharpness and speed, the Centre Back played a pivotal role in both Euros and World Cup wins.
What is fascinating about Blanc is that he started his career as an attacking midfield, scoring 76 times in 243 appearances for Montpellier.
However over time transitioned to a defensive role, playing Centre back in the latter half of his career.
4. Frank Leboeuf – Centre Half
Frank Leboeuf received winners medals both at the 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euros, despite not playing as big a role as defenders Thuram, Blanc, and Descially.
With that said he was still a useful squad member, especially during the qualifying phase for the Euro 2000, where he scored a winning penalty with 87 minutes on the clock.
Frank went on to play 50 caps over 7 years for the international side and played the majority of his career with Chelsea and Strasbourg.
5. Bixente Lizarazu – Left Back
Completing the back four, that stayed present and rock-solid over the two tournaments was left back Bixente Lizarazu.
The Frenchman collected winners’ medals for the Euros and World Cup during a 12-year span of playing for France.
A full-back that was well known for his technical abilities and being able to offer a threat going forward, started both finals.
6. Didier Deschamps – Defensive Midfielder
Didier Deschamps didn’t just have a successful playing career, but he has experienced winning tournaments as a manager.
After narrowly missing out to Portugal in a 1 nil defeat that must have been gut-wrenching, they returned two years later to lift the 2020 World Cup in France.
Taking on a national team that is arguably just as blessed with natural talent as the one he was famously apart of in the late 90’s.
Deschamps played in the heart of midfield as a player and was gifted when it came to reading the game and regaining the ball of opposition.
He went on to make 103 appearances for France before retiring after Euro 2020. At a club level, he reached at least 100 appearances with Nantes, Marseille aswell, and Juventus.
7. Christian Karembeu – Centre Midfielder
Christian Karembeu, who was known for his all-around playstyle and working hard for his teammates, was part of both tournament-winning sides.
Born in New Caledonia, appeared in five out of 7 games at the 1998 World Cup, being an unused sub for the first two group games.
8. Emmanuel Petit – Defensive Midfielder
Emmanuel Petit had two successful tournaments over two years with France.
Not only will he be known for how good he was defensively not just for France but for the club too, but for scoring the goal that sealed the 1998 World Cup goal.
In the 90th minute, Petit split the Brazil defense open before slotting the ball in the bottom right corner.
A goal not only his nation will remember for a long time, but also him too.
9. Robert Pires – Defensive Midfielder
A young Robert Pires first made his debut for France in 1996 and within four years he had joined the club of winning both the World Cup and Euros.
Now while Pires didn’t feature too much at these tournaments his impact off the bench ended up being massive.
As the Ex-Arsenal winger, set up Blanc and Trezeguet’s golden goal winners in World Cup 1998 and Euro 2000 respectively.
10. Patrick Viera – Defensive Midfielder
There are two things to come to mind when I think of Viera, first his famous and also fiesty bust-ups with Roy Keane while playing for Arsenal.
Secondly how good he was as a player, he had everything you could wish for in a midfielder, which is why he is considered as one of the best to play the game.
Now, manager of Crystal Palace, Viera can look back on his playing days and his international success in 1998 and 2000.
11. Zinedine Zidane – Defensive Midfielder
Zinedine Zidane has quite a career both as a player and a manager, winning all the big trophies in the game.
From the Ballon D’Or award in 1998 to a Champions League in 2003 with Real Madrid.
The player has experienced something very rare, winning back-to-back international titles aswell as 3 Champions Leagues in a row as a manager.
A feat someone like me and yourself are unlikely to see again in our lifetimes.
12. Thierry Henry – Left Winger
Aged just 21, Thierry Henry was called up to the World Cup in France, despite being fairly unknown at the time.
A youngster in both tournaments he scored three times in each, announcing his name fully on the world stage and of course helping his country win both competitions.
This spell playing alongside footballers listed above was as good as it got for Henry’s international career.
As while he did win the Euros and World Cup, apart from the World Cup 2006 where they reached the final, they flopped in the tournaments across the 2000s.
13. Christophe Dugarry – Striker
Starting his career with Bordeaux scoring 34 goals in 187 games between 1988 and 1996, Christophe Dugarry did the double at 28.
Dugarry came off the bench in 1998 Final aswell as starting as the main focal point in their 2000 final win against Italy.
14. David Trezeguet – Striker
David Trezeguet was also one of the youngest of the French footballers to win both 1998 and 2000 tournaments.
Trezeguet who was the same age and teammate to Thierry Henry at Monaco made 5 appearances at the 1998 World Cup with two being starts.
However, while he was getting a taste of international football that year, the moment that will put him down as a legend in French football was his goal two years later.
As in 2000, it was his goal in the Euro 2020 final in extra time, that clinched the trophy with the Golden Rule in full works back then.
Spain 2008, 2010 and 2012 Winners
The third and most recent country to pull of the spectacular achievement of winning both the Euros and World Cup was Spain.
This occurred in the late 2000s in a spell of football, where Spanish teams were ruling superior.
With Pep Guardiola’s philosophy at Barcelona, it changed the way football was being played, and as a result, for over 6 years teams didn’t know how to defend it.
Now as we have gone through the players and teams in this post, its gotten more impressive.
From Germany winning it in 6 years to France achieving both backs to back.
But what Spain did will go down as even more legendary as they achieved three international titles in a row.
Starting with the Euros in 2008 through till the Euros in 2012, with the 2010 World Cup triumph in between.
So in this section, we are going to look at those special players that not only changed football but achieved the unthinkable.
1. Iker Casillas – Goalkeeper
One of the best keepers in the world during this time, Iker Casillas won the treble at 31.
This was despite a blunder in the first game of the 2010 World Cup, where it was his fault that saw them open with a defeat in South Africa.
The Spaniard who spent sixteen years at Real Madrid won the IFFHS best goalkeeper of the award on 5 different occasions.
Along with finishing 4th in the 2008 Ballon D’Or which for an award that’s history has shown it favors outfield players is very good.
Known for his cat-like reflexes and fantastic diving, Iker went on to make a whopping 167 appearances from 2000-2016.
2. Victor Valdes – Goalkeeper
Victor Valdes wasn’t chosen for the 2008 Euros, however was brought in by Vincente Del Bosque for the 2010 tournament.
Despite not playing a game over both tournaments Victor collected a winners medal in both South Africa and Poland/Ukraine.
3. Pepe Reina – Goalkeeper
Despite being a quality shot-stopper for Liverpool, Pepe never really got a look in during the World Cup and Euros win.
Reina’s only appearance over the three tournaments came in Spain’s final 2008 group game against Greece.
This was a game, where Spain was already through and Vincente rotated most of his team.
4. Raul Albiol – Centre Back
Veteran center back Raul Albiol is one of a few of the 2008 squad who won the 2008, 2010, and 2012 tournaments and is still playing at the top level today.
At 36 years old Albiol is a starter for Villareal FC in which he won the Europa League within 2021.
Still active with the Spanish national side, we may still see him at another tournament before he calls it quits.
5. Gerard Pique – Centre Back
34-year-old Gerard Pique has been a mainstay in the center of the Barcelona defense ever since moving from Manchester United in 2008.
While he still plays at a high level in Spain, he did however call quits on his international career after the disappointment in Russia 2018.
6. Carlos Marchena – Centre Back
Carlos Marchena who played 69 games for Spain appeared at the 2008 and 2010 tournament.
Marchena was a starter in Spain’s first Euro title since 1964, however fell somewhat out of favor to Gerard Pique who had a rise to prominence before the start of the 2010 world cup.
7. Carles Puyol – Centre Back
Known as being one of the hardest center-backs of all time, Carles Puyol helped carry his team to titles in 2008 and 2010.
The ex-Barcelona footballer started all the games over the two campaigns bar one.
One of the biggest moments he had at an international level, was his goal in a tense semi-final against Germany.
His bullet header in the 73rd minute was the only goal of the game and set up a final against the Netherlands.
8. Andres Iniesta – Midfielder
Scoring one of the most memorable goals in World Cup history, Andres Iniesta’s volley deep in extra time set Spain on their way to their first final win.
A gifted footballer I grew up watching in the early 2010s his brilliance on the ball and the way he viewed the game was on another level.
While some may not realize, Iniesta is still playing at 37 in Japan with Vissel Kobe.
He has been there since his emotional departure from Barcelona in 2018.
9. David Villa – Striker
David Villa was one of the most lethal strikers and formed a deadly partnership with Fernando Torres.
In one on one situations, Villa was as clinical as it came, which helped him reach 59 goals in 98 appearances.
Villa scored a hat trick at the 2008 finals and became his countries leading goal scorer in World Cup history with 6.
The forward called it quits in 2014 after a shocking campaign in Brazil and went on to play at club level until recently in 2020 for Vissel Kobe.
10. Xavi – Centre Midfielder
Center midfielder Xavi who was part of the Spanish dominance in the late 2000s with Barcelona and country was instrumental in Spain’s success.
A player who would play the game steps above anyone else, spent years bossing the midfield alongside teammate Iniesta.
Now aged 40, Xavi hung up his boots in 2019 playing for Al-Sadd, and as since returned to Barcelona has a manager.
11. Fernando Torres – Striker
While it was Iniesta who scored the 2010 Final goal it was Torres who quite literally got the ball rolling in 2008, with a winner in the final against Germany.
In his prime Torres was a frightful sight for defenders, scoring for fun during the late 2000’s while at Liverpool.
12. Sergio Ramos – Centre Back
The fact that it feels like Sergio Ramos has been around for decades, shows you how good the player is as he was able to establish himself on the world stage early.
Aged just 19, Ramos made his first appearance for Spain and by the time he was 26 he had won the European Championship twice and the World Cup once.
Still a very good defender at 35, he is still with the Spain national side and will be hoping to go to yet another world cup in Qatar.
13. Cesc Fabregas – Centre Midfielder
Monaco midfielder Cesc Fabregas is a talented midfielder known for his accurate passing and reading of the game.
With over 110 caps for Spain between 2006 and 2016, it was his pass that set up the all-important winner for Iniesta in 2010.
14. Joan Capdevila – Left Back
Joan Capdevilla was the first choice left-back for Spain over both 2008 and 2010 campaigns.
The resolut full back, who started all the games at the finals bar one, called time on his career in 2011.
This was after making 60 appearances since 2002, including 4 goals.
15. Xabi Alonso – Centre Midfielder
Classy center midfielder Xabi Alonso, who was famously known for his second to none ball skills and ability to pick out any pass, he went to 6 international tournaments with Spain.
Alonso’s breakthrough at international level came in 2006 at the Germany world cup, being one of the better players of the tournament.
From then, he went on to win each of the three next international tournaments, in which he played a key role in each.
16. Alvaro Arbeloa – Right Back
Alvaro Arbeloa won the Euros and World Cup despite being out of favor until Euro 2012.
While Arbeloa was named in the squad for the 2008 Euros and 2010 World Cup, he only made a combined 1 appearance.
However with Puyol ruled out of the 2012 Euros, Arbeloa got a chance, and ended up starting each game on the role to winning the title.
17. David Silva – Centre Attacking Midfielder
After an impressive start to his career at Valencia, aged 22 David Silva was called up to his first international tournament in 2008.
In that tournament he started 5 out of 6 games, scoring the last and a comfortable Semi-Final win over Russia.
However, things didn’t continue as great as they started, as in 2010 Vincente Del Bosque opted more for Pedro over Silva, making only one appearance.
Two years later though, Silva was back in the frow playing in that left wing role, notably scoring the first of four in Spain thrashing over Italy in the final.
18. Javi Martinez – Centre Defensive Midfielder
Javi Martinez was rewarded with his first inclusion in an international tournament in 2010, aged 21.
With the squad depth especially in midfield that Spain has, it was always going to be hard for Martinez to get any time.
In total, he only got two substitute performances across the 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euros, both in the group stage.
This however was enough to see him get winners medals for both tournaments all before hitting 23.
19. Jesus Navas – Right Back
When Jesus Navas won both the Euros and World Cup he was playing as a winger.
Nowadays though he has had a position shift, seeing him play right-back ever since moving back to boyhood club Sevilla in 2017.
The Spaniard was mostly a reserve player during the two campaigns, starting once in the 2010 Group Stage against Honduras and then in the Euro 2012 Semi-Final against Portugal.
20. Juan Mata – Attacking Midfielder
Manchester United attacking midfielder Juan Mata was making his rise to prominence in the late 2000s.
But similar to his recent time in Manchester, Mata struggled to establish a place in Spain’s first team.
Between 2010 and 2012, he started none of the games and was limited to occasional substitute appearances.
However, he did put a crown on top of Spain 4 nil win, by coming off the bench to score the 4th in the 88th minute.
21. Sergio Busquets – Centre Defensive Midfielder
Despite being one of the best defensive midfielders of the 2010s, you can’t help but feel that Busquets somewhat goes under the radar.
One of the youngest players in the Spain squad at the time and still very much a big player for Barcelona, he had a big role to play.
The midfielder who sits right in the heart of Spains midfield started every game, as he won the 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euros.
22. Fernando Llorente – Striker
Unluckily for Fernando Llorente, there were two other strikers ahead of the peking order at each tournament he was called up too.
In 2010, he was competing with Fernando Torres and David Villa and then two years later it was Negredo and Torres who were ahead of him.
Saying that though the Basque striker did at least get 1 appearance coming off the bench for Fernando Torres against Portugal in the 2010 round of 16.
23. Pedro – Winger
To bring the list to an end, we have winger Pedro who was starting to make a name for himself at Barcelona.
In the same year he got called up to the 2010 World Cup he scored the opener in a 3 nil win against Manchester United at Wembley.
Pedro didn’t however start a game in South Africa, until the Semi’s in which he played 86 minutes.
He did also start the final against Germany reaching the hour mark before being replaced by Jesus Navas.
In 2012 and second favorite to David Silva, his campaign didn’t get started until the knockouts where he came on as a sub in each of the three games.
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