Dembélé Poised to Join Elite Group of Champions League and World Cup Winners in Same Year

Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé is on the verge of joining a highly exclusive club of footballers who have achieved the remarkable double of winning both the Champions League and the World Cup within the same calendar year. This prestigious accomplishment has historically been secured by only 11 players.

The initial group to achieve this feat were members of the dominant Bayern Munich and West Germany teams of 1974: Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Sepp Maier, Paul Breitner, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Uli Hoeneß, and Jupp Kapellmann. It took another 24 years before Christian Karembeu replicated the achievement with Real Madrid and France in 1998. The list continued to grow with Real Madrid players, including Roberto Carlos for Brazil in 2002, followed by Sami Khedira with Germany in 2014 and Raphael Varane with France in 2018.

Following Paris Saint-Germain's recent Champions League triumph, a number of their players now have the opportunity to etch their names into football history. Among the French contingent, Ousmane Dembélé, Lucas Hernández, Désiré Doué, Warren Zaire-Emery, and Bradley Barcola could all achieve this if they win the upcoming World Cup with Les Bleus. Portuguese players Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Vitinha, and Gonçalo Ramos are also in contention with their national team. Additionally, Spanish midfielder Fabián Ruiz has a chance to join the elite list if Spain emerges victorious in the tournament.