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We are used to hearing phrases like 'habitual winner' or 'serial winner' in football these days. Those words tend to get thrown around a lot. Europe's top 5 leagues are viewed as the gold standard for club football. It is the dream of aspiring footballers everywhere to represent or play for a club in Europe's top 5 leagues.
To become successful in one of those elite competitions is quite an achievement in itself. In order to become a serial winner in such an environment, a player needs to sustain high performance levels for an extended period of time. By doing so, he will be able to ply his trade at clubs that are in the habit of winning.
In essence, ability needs to be sufficiently supported by longevity for a player to have an extremely successful career. Without further ado, let's take a look at the four players with most wins in Europe's top 5 leagues.
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#4 Lionel Messi - 389 wins
Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. He collected a record seventh Ballon d'Or last year and has won nearly everything there is to be won in world football. The Argentinian international enrolled at Barcelona's youth academy La Masia at the age of 13.
He rose through the ranks at the club and was handed his senior debut on 16th October 2004 against Espanyol. From there, there was no stopping Messi. It didn't take long before he was the main man for the Catalans. Towards the end of the 2000s, Messi had already established himself as the best in the business.
He has already had an illustrious career and is still going strong at the age of 34. Messi spent 17 years with the Barcelona senior team before leaving them in the summer of 2021.
Messi won 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa Del Reys, four Champions League titles and three FIFA Club World Cups during his stay with the Catalans. He has also been named La Liga's Best Player for six seasons.
Messi has played a total of 532 games in Europe's top 5 leagues. He has won 389 of those games. He boasts a win rate of 73.1%. These numbers are testament to the fact that Messi is one of the most successful footballers in the history of the game.
Currently at PSG, Messi is well on course to win his first Ligue 1 title this season.
#3 Gianluigi Buffon - 409 wins
Gianluigi Buffon had a long and fulfilling career. The Italian will go down in history as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He will turn 44 on January 28, 2022 but is still going strong. Buffon currently plays for his boyhood team Parma in Serie B.
He made his Serie A debut with Parma in 1995 and before long became their first-choice goalkeeper. Buffon played a starring role in Parma's Coppa Italia, the UEFA Cup and the Supercoppa Italiana triumphs in 1999. That's why Juventus were willing to pay €52 million, a then world record fee for a goalkeeper, to sign him in 2001.
The legendary Italian won the World Cup in 2006. He remained at Juventus for 17 seasons before joining PSG for just one season in 2018-19. Buffon returned to Juventus in 2019 and only left the club in 2021 to re-join Parma.
He has played a total of 674 matches in Europe's top 5 leagues and has won 409 of them. Buffon has a win rate of 60.6%.
#2 Ryan Giggs - 425 wins
Ryan Giggs is one of the most decorated footballers of all time. He is a member of the famed 'Class of 92', a group of academy graduates who went on to win the continental treble for Manchester United in the 1998-99 season.
Giggs was the first superstar from the lot. He showcased incredible talent from a very young age. The Welshman could move like a gazelle and had the technical proficiency and intelligence to make game-changing decisions on the regular.
Giggs has made in excess of 1000 career appearances and is one of the only 28 players to do so. He won a whopping 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, four FA Cups, three League Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.
Giggs played only for Manchester United his entire career. He made 669 appearances in the English top-flight, winning 425 of those. Giggs has a win rate of 63.5%.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - 426 wins
Cristiano Ronaldo hates losing. The Portuguese international is the perfect example of a serial winner. His mentality has gone a long way towards making him one of the most successful footballers of all time.
Ronaldo first garnered attention in Europe's 5 leagues after joining Manchester United in 2003. After starting off as a mercurial winger, Ronaldo soon burgeoned into a prolific goalscorer. He won his first Ballon d'Or in 2008 after propelling the Red Devils to the Champions League title in the 2007-08 season.
Ronaldo has since had extremely successful stints at Real Madrid and Juventus as well. He won four Champions League titles with Los Blancos. In his top-flight career, Ronaldo has made 604 appearances in Europe's top 5 leagues.
He has won 426 of those games at a win rate of 70.5%.
