Bobby Charlton. The legendary midfielder helped England win the 1966 World Cup, before winning the Ballon d'Or the same year. Two years later, he won the European Cup/Champions League with Manchester United, becoming the first person to win all three major titles.

Gerd Muller. Arguably Germany's greatest ever striker, Muller was the top scorer at the 1970 World Cup with 10 goals, before winning the Ballon d'Or that same year. From its inception in 1956 until 1994, the Ballon d'Or was only awarded to players with European nationality. Therefore, members of the 1970 World Cup-winning Brazil team did not have the opportunity to compete with Muller.

Muller won three consecutive European Cups/Champions Leagues in 1974, 1975, and 1976 with Bayern Munich, in addition to the 1974 World Cup with West Germany. In the 1974 World Cup final, he scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands.

Franz Beckenbauer. Like Muller, this legendary defender was behind all of Bayern and Germany's successes in the early 1970s: three consecutive European Cups/Champions Leagues, Euro 1972, and the 1974 World Cup. Beckenbauer won the Ballon d'Or in 1972 and 1976.

During his playing days, Beckenbauer was considered a great player, credited with inventing the modern libero role - a position between central midfielder and central defender. After ending his playing career with New York Cosmos in the US, he became coach of the West Germany national team from 1984-1990, culminating in winning the World Cup in Italy. He later led Marseille to the French league title in 1991, among other titles with Bayern.

German media consider Beckenbauer the most important figure in the history of German football. In the IFFHS World Player of the Century poll, Beckenbauer ranked third, behind Pele and Johan Cruyff.

Paolo Rossi. The former striker became the hero of the 1982 World Cup, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot and lead Italy to the title. With this achievement in Spain, he easily won the Ballon d'Or that same year. In 1985, during his final season playing for Juventus, he won the European Cup/Champions League.

Zinedine Zidane. Like Charlton and Rossi, the legendary French midfielder won the World Cup and the Ballon d'Or in the same year (1998). In the 3-0 World Cup final victory over Brazil, he scored twice with two powerful headers. In 2002, Zidane again played a decisive role, scoring a volley to help Real Madrid defeat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in the Champions League final.

Rivaldo. In 1999, with his outstanding individual performances, winning La Liga with Barcelona, and winning the Copa America title, Golden Boot, and Best Player award, Rivaldo won the Ballon d'Or. He continued to shine, scoring five goals and providing two assists at the 2002 World Cup, helping Brazil win a record fifth title. Rivaldo completed his collection of three major titles by winning the 2002-2003 Champions League with AC Milan, where he played 13 matches and scored two goals.

Ronaldinho. He was a member of the Brazil squad that won the 2002 World Cup. In the 2-1 quarter-final victory over England, Ronaldinho set up Rivaldo for the equalizer and scored the winning goal with a 40-meter free-kick. Ronaldinho won the 2005 Ballon d'Or, thanks to his excellent individual performances and La Liga title, before winning the 2006 Champions League with Barcelona.

Kaka. The former midfielder played only one match during Brazil's 2002 World Cup triumph. At the time, he was only 20 years old and had been playing professionally for just over a year. Kaka later played a key role in helping AC Milan win the 2007 Champions League, before winning the Ballon d'Or the same year.

Lionel Messi. Messi won four Champions Leagues with Barcelona in 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2015. He holds the record for Ballon d'Or wins with eight, in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023. But after 13 years of having the Champions League and Ballon d'Or, Messi completed the trifecta by winning the 2022 World Cup. At this tournament, he scored seven goals, including two in the final, and won the Golden Ball award for best player.

Ousmane Dembele. Dembele played four matches in France's 2018 World Cup triumph. This year, he unexpectedly completed his collection of the three major titles, winning the Champions League with PSG and the Ballon d'Or.

Photo: UEFA, FIFA, Club, Reuters, AP, SB