How Pedro’s trophy cabinet compares to modern greats and his treble-winning Barcelona teammates
When all has been said and done Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma can look back on a fulfilled playing career.
Since breaking through at boyhood club Barcelona, under Frank Rijkaard before attaining a prominent role with Pep Guardiola in charge, the Spaniard has just about won every major trophy he’s competed for.
https://audioboom.com/posts/7278637-klopp-must-solve-wenger-s-dilemma-to-take-liverpool-forward
A league winner in Spain and England with Chelsea, he’s lifted football’s grandest prize with Spain, as well as collecting three European Cup winners’ medals among others.
But it’s the quality, not the quantity that makes Pedro’s haul impressive. Many of his contemporaries have won more, but not all of them has each individual prize, some are missing a major international title whilst others have yet to lift either or both of UEFA’s major club trophies.
So, it’s worth seeing how Pedro compares with his former Barça treble winners and some of football’s modern greats when it comes to first-team trophies.
Neymar
Major honours: 20
Breakdown: Campeonato Paulista (3), Copa do Brasil (1), Copa Libertadores (1), Recopa Sudamericana (1), La Liga (2), Copa del Rey (3), Supercopa de España (1), Champions League (1), FIFA Club World Cup (1), Ligue 1 (2), Coupe de France (1), Coupe de la Ligue (1), Trophée des Champions (1), FIFA Confederations Cup (1)
A teenage superstar in South American football, it wasn’t long before Neymar, who broke through at Pele’s club Santos, was on the move to Europe. The Brazilian forward immediately struck up a formidable partnership with Lionel Messi, before joined by Luis Suarez, and the trio would guide Barça to a second treble. Neymar, though, would soon leave for Paris Saint-Germain – who made him the world’s most-expensive footballer – and he’s continued adding to his trophy cabinet which includes a Confederations Cup success with Brazil.
Toni Kroos
Major honours: 21
Breakdown: Bundesliga (3), DFB-Pokal (2), DFL-Supercup (1), Champions League (4), UEFA Super Cup (3), FIFA Club World Cup (5), La Liga (1), Supercopa de Espana (1), World Cup (1)
Comparable to Xavi as far as Johan Cruyff was considered, the German central midfielder has played a starring role in Bayern Munich’s and Real Madrid’s last European Cup successes. Kroos was also a key member of Germany’s World Cup-winning team of 2014.
Pedro
Major honours: 25
Breakdown: La Liga (5), Copa del Rey (3), Supercopa de España (4), Champions League (3), UEFA Super Cup (3), FIFA Club World Cup (2), Premier League (1), FA Cup (1), Europa League (1), World Cup (1), European Championship (1)
Pedro is what you’d call a footballer’s footballer. He’s not someone who grabs the headlines, but does his job well, and is subsequently appreciated by his teammates and manager. He was an integral part of Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona team and since moving to England, has enjoyed further successes with Chelsea. Before linking up at Stamford Bridge he’d lift two major international honours with Spain including their first World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Major honours: 28
Breakdown: Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (1), Premier League (3), FA Cup (1), League Cup (2), Community Shield (1), Champions League (5), FIFA Club World Cup (4), La Liga (2), Copa del Rey (2), Supercopa de España (2), UEFA Super Cup (2), Serie A (1), Supercoppa Italiana (1), European Championship (1)
Across the last decade, two individuals have dominated world football like never before. Cristiano Ronaldo, who broke records at Manchester United, before doing the same at Real Madrid – where he lifted four Champions Leagues – is continuing his success trail at Juventus. By lifting the 2018/19 Serie A championship he became the first footballer to win the top division title in England, Spain and Italy. For all his club success, Ronaldo’s proudest moment was guiding his native Portugal to Euro 2016 glory, and he’s likely to have one more crack at bringing the World Cup home.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Major honours: 31
Breakdown: Eredivisie (2), KNVB Cup (1), Johan Cruyff Shield (1), Serie A (3), Supercoppa Italiana (2), La Liga (1), Supercopa de España (2), UEFA Super Cup (1), FIFA Club World Cup (1), Serie A (1), Supercoppa Italiana (1), Ligue 1 (4), Coupe de France (2), Coupe de la Ligue (3), Trophée des Champions (3), Community Shield (1), League Cup (1), Europa League (1)
For a while Zlatan Ibrahimovic was a trophy magnet: wherever the enigmatic Swedish marksman went, he tasted success. A champion in four different countries (Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France) there’s a European Cup-size hole in his trophy room. Ibrahimović at the moment is currently on a barren spell with MLS outfit LA Galaxy despite not letting up when it comes to finding the back of the net.
Sergio Busquets
Major honours: 31
Breakdown: La Liga (8), Copa del Rey (6), Supercopa de España (6), Champions League (3), UEFA Super Cup (3), FIFA Club World Cup (3), World Cup (1), European Championship (1)
Busquets broke into the Barcelona team roughly the same time as Pedro and would soon usurp Yaya Toure as Guardiola’s go-to defensive midfielder. He’s since become a pivotal figure for club and country winning all the major prizes as his former teammate. However, with Barça being an exclusive Champions League club, Busquets hasn’t tasted Europa League football. And remaining at the Camp Nou means there hasn’t been any possibility of winning another domestic league.
Xavi
Major honours: 32
Breakdown: La Liga (8), Copa del Rey (3), Supercopa de España (6), Champions League (4), UEFA Super Cup (2), FIFA Club World Cup (2), Qatar Stars League (1), Emir of Qatar Cup (1), Qatar Cup (1), Sheikh Jassim Cup (1), World Cup (1), European Championship (2)
Xavi has come to redefine what it means to be a controlling midfielder. His mastery of space and time played a key role in Barça’s dominant spell under Guardiola where they swept up all before them. After lifting a fourth Champions League, part of a second historic treble in 2015, he’d relocate to Qatar where he enjoyed more success with Al Sadd before hanging up his boots to start coaching them.
Lionel Messi
Major honours: 33
Breakdown: La Liga (10), Copa del Rey (6), Supercopa de España (7), Champions League (4), UEFA Super Cup (3), FIFA Club World Cup (3)
What more needs to be said about Lionel Messi, who sits in the pantheon of football’s all-time greats. No one has scored more for Barça and 35% of their overall honours (33/93) have come during his era. However, for all this, he’d swap a championship or two to end Argentina’s 26-year trophy drought. All eyes on the diminutive number 10 at this summer’s Copa America being held in Brazil.
Gerard Pique
Major honours: 33
Breakdown: Premier League (1), Community Shield (1), Champions League (4), La Liga (8), Copa del Rey (6), Supercopa de España (6), UEFA Super Cup (2), FIFA Club World Cup (3), World Cup (1), European Championship (1)
The presence of formidable central defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic blocked Gerard Pique’s pathway into becoming a regular starter at Manchester United, which opened the door for a return to boyhood club Barcelona and he’s not looked back since. A squad player under Sir Alex Ferguson, Pique developed the taste of success at Old Trafford and that has continued ever since at club and international level.
Andres Iniesta
Major honours: 34
Breakdown: La Liga (9), Copa del Rey (6), Supercopa de España (6), Champions League (4), UEFA Super Cup (3), FIFA Club World Cup (3), World Cup (1), European Championship (2)
As far as Diego Godin is concerned, Andres Iniesta can be described as Spain’s most important footballer. He is, after all, his nation’s most decorated footballer and the one that won them their first World Cup. No longer at his childhood team Barça the man dubbed ‘The Brain’ is hoping to enjoy further success at Japanese club Vissel Kobe.
Dani Alves
Major honours: 41
Breakdown: Campeonato Baiano (1), Copa do Nordeste (2), Copa del Rey (5), Supercopa de España (5), UEFA Cup (2), UEFA Super Cup (4), La Liga (6), Champions League (3), FIFA Club World Cup (3), Serie A (1), Coppa Italia (1), Ligue 1 (2), Coupe de France (1), Coupe de la Ligue (1), Trophée des Champions (1), Copa América (1), Confederations Cup (2)
No one in football history has won more than Dani Alves whose thirst for trophies continues unabated. A key part of Barça two treble triumphs, the marauding right-back made his name at Sevilla and has continued his legacy at Juventus and now PSG. He was also part of Brazil’s last successful Copa America team.
