PSG's left back Maxwell has become the most decorated club footballer of all time after PSG won the Coue de la Ligue. Maxwell now has a staggering 36 trophies to his name, beating the old record of 35 set by Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs. We take a look at how a player who has so often gone under the radar has achieved this feat and look at the other contenders that are hot on his heels.
The key to Maxwell's incredible haul of trophies has been the stature of the clubs he has played at. Starting his career in his homeland of Brazil he picked up his first trophy by winning the Copa do Brasil with Cruzeiro. He clearly got a taste for success with the Brazilian giants as he made his big move to Europe.
Ajax - The Netherlands (Six Trophies)
Maxwell bagged a move to Dutch club Ajax in 2001, signing a five-year contract. He was a mainstay of a successful side, making 114 appearances during his time there and hitting nine goals from left hand side. With Ajax he won the Eredivisie and KNVB cup in his debut season, before adding the league title, the KNVB cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield twice in his five seasons at the club. We are up to seven trophies now for those keeping count!
Inter Milan - Italy (Five Trophies)
Following a bit of hassle regarding a non-EU player quota, which led to Maxwell moving to Empoli, (he never played a game for them) he moved to Inter Milan in the summer of 2006. His debut season was again one to remember as Inter romped to the title, winning the league by 22 points. They lost just one game all season as they also won the Italian Super Cup. Inter retained the Serie A title in the two following seasons as other clubs attempted to recover from the Italian football match-fixing scandal. They also won the Italian Super Cup again in 2008 taking Maxwell's total up to 12! There would be many more to follow for the Brazilian.
Barcelona - Spain (Ten Trophies)
Barcelona came calling in the summer of 2009 and Maxwell signed a five-year deal. He was signed to provide competition for the ageing Eric Abidal and in his first season he was vital in helping Barcelona lift La Liga as Abidal got injured. That incredible Barca team retained the league the following season, won the Supercopa de Espana three years on the trot, the Fifa Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup in 2009 & 2011. Maxwell also won his only Champions League of his career as Barcelona overcame Manchester United 3-1 in the 2010-2011 final. Sir Alex Ferguson described this Barcelona squad as the best he has ever faced. Up to 22 trophies now for Maxwell, yet his best club haul was still to come.
Paris Saint Germain - France (Fourteen Trophies)
Maxwell joined PSG in January of 2012 having not been Barcelona's first choice left back. He joined a club absolutely dominating French football and the trophies just kept adding up. Much has been made of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Maxwell's friendship, they seem to be inseparable after playing with each other at Ajax, Inter, Barcelona and they met up yet again in Paris. They teamed up to help PSG to four consecutive league titles, Coupe de la Ligues and Trophee des Champions. They also swept up two Coupe de France's during that period. This leaves Maxwell on 36 trophies with this season's league title still up for grabs. Astounding.
We finish by taking a quick look at the players who could overtake this record.
Maxwell's best mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not far behind him with 32 trophies. He is now 35 years of age however, but in truth he is not showing much sign of slowing down!
Lionel Messi stands a chance of holding yet another record when he retires as he has won 29 trophies. Remarkably this includes eight league titles, four Champions Leagues and four Spanish cups.
Compare this to Cristiano Ronaldo who has won 21 club trophies throughout is career across Portugal, England and Spain. Of course he also bagged his first international honour by winning Euro 2016 last year.
Neymar is regarded by many to have a great chance at beating many records. The now 25-year-old is currently on just 11 club honours but he has plenty more time to add to this collection. He has also been successful on the international stage winning an Olympic gold medal and a Confederations Cup.
