SUMMARY
- Julian Alvarez recently added the FIFA Club World Cup title to his impressive trophy collection.
- Before Alvarez, Manchester United defender Raphael Varane achieved the rare feat in 2018.
Every soccer player dreams of being a world champion at least once in his or her career. Among all the different titles a soccer player can win, being a world champion is the highest honor. Only a few players are lucky enough to be world champions in their lifetime. However, even fewer players have been lucky enough to wear the championship patch on both their national and club jerseys. Surprisingly, Lionel Messi is not on the list.
Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez added the 13th title to his already impressive trophy cabinet a few days ago. Alvarez’s City defeated the Brazilian club Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup final recently. It was the first Club World Cup title in City’s history, and the third title won as a manager by Pep Guardiola. To date, Julian Alvarez has won the World Cup, Copa America, and the Finalissima with Argentina.
MANCHESTER CITY LIFT THE CLUB WORLD CUP TROPHY 🤩🏆pic.twitter.com/UwSHbGObW4
— City HQ (@City_HQs) December 22, 2023
Moreover, he has won the Argentine Primera Division, Copa Argentina, Supercopa Argentina, Trofeo de Campeones, and Copa Libertadores with his former club River Plate. In addition to this, he has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and the Club World Cup with City. He will soon become only the second player to play with the ‘World Champion’ badge for his club and national team.
Julián Álvarez will be the only football player in the world to play with the world champion patch, at the club and national team level. pic.twitter.com/cyNj6dyRIA
— Football Factly (@FootballFactly) December 26, 2023
Before Alvarez, Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has accomplished this feat. In 2018, Varane helped France to their second World Cup title by defeating Croatia in the final. The same year, Varane‘s Real Madrid won their 13th Champions League title, beating Liverpool in the final. Therefore, to date, Julian Alvarez and Raphael Varane remain the only two players to play with the prestigious badge on their club and national team shirts.
Who wore the FIFA ‘World Champion’ badge for the first time?
The FIFA ‘World Champion‘ badge was introduced back in 2008. It is a 3.1 by 2.3 inches badge that’s shaped like a shield and is golden in color. The badge is made and licensed by FIFA and contains the inscription, “FIFA World Champions.” The badge was first awarded to the Italian giants AC Milan, the then-reigning Club World Cup Champion, in 2008.
Meanwhile, Italy the then-reigning World Champions, became the first national team to wear the badge. The honor was further extended to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2009 and was awarded to Germany. To date, Real Madrid remains the most successful team in the Club World Cup history with five titles. The Spanish giants held the FIFA badge continuously for a record 1,089 days.
On the other hand, no men’s national team has earned the right to win the badge twice. Since its inception, Spain, Germany, France, and Argentina have won the World Cup. However, the US women’s national team remains the only national team in soccer history to have earned the FIFA badge on two separate occasions.