Winning league titles at more than one tier is far from unheard of in football – but doing so with the same club? That’s a bit more of a rarity.
It has happened throughout the history of the game, though, usually when a player helps a side up the pyramid – but by no means always.
Here are some of those to have achieved this uncommon feat…
Fernando Correa (Atletico Madrid)
A striker who earned four caps for Uruguay, Fernando Correa spent the best part of a decade with Atletico Madrid.
Part of Radomir Antic’s LaLiga title-winning side in 1995/96, his first season at the club, Correa helped Atleti back to the top flight as 2001/02 Segunda Division champions, forming a successful partnership with compatriot Diego Alonso.
John McGovern (Derby County)
Midfielder John McGovern played under Brian Clough at four clubs, following the legendary manager from Hartlepool to Derby in 1968.
The Scot won the Second Division title in his first campaign with the Rams, before starring in their first-ever First Division triumph of 1971/72.
He later captained Clough’s Nottingham Forest to top-flight glory, two European Cups and two League Cups.
Mahmut Tekdemir (Istanbul Basaksehir)
Mahmut Tekdemir spent almost two decades with Istanbul Basaksehir, and his loyalty was rewarded with 2019/20 Turkish Super Lig glory – as skipper, no less – as the relatively new club became the first Istanbul side other than traditional powerhouses Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas to take the title.
The midfielder, who won 22 caps for Turkey, had previously helped Istanbul Basaksehir to the second-tier title in 2013/14.
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Plenty of Juventus’ biggest stars stayed at the club after their relegation to Italy’s second tier amid the 2006 Calciopoli scandal.
Goalkeeping icon Gianluigi Buffon was among them, lining up between the sticks as Juve made an immediate return to Serie A by winning the 2006/07 Serie B title, having already claimed his first two of 10 Scudetti with the Bianconeri.
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)
Defensive colossus Giorgio Chiellini also remained with Juventus following their demotion, although his first two Serie A titles ceased to be as part of the club’s punishment.
The enduring centre-back added top-flight success to his Serie B triumph in 2012, and it was his first of nine straight Scudetti as a Juve player.
Andreas Brehme (Kaiserslautern)
West Germany’s winning goalscorer in the 1990 World Cup final, and a Bundesliga and Serie A champion with Bayern Munich and Inter respectively, Andreas Brehme was no stranger to glory at the highest level of the game.
But the famously attack-minded left-back was part of a particularly remarkable achievement in the late 90s, returning to former club Kaiserslautern and winning the 2. Bundesliga and Bundesliga titles in consecutive seasons – 1996/97 and 1997/98 – under another club legend, Otto Rehhagel.
Gordon Strachan (Leeds United)
One of Leeds’ best-ever players, Gordon Strachan was integral to the Whites’ revival at the start of the 90s.
The charismatic Scottish midfielder captained Howard Wilkinson’s team to the 1989/90 Second Division title and the 1991/92 First Division title, as Leeds became the last English champions of the pre-Premier League era.
Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Jamie Vardy’s entire career reads like a Hollywood script, so it feels right that he’s collected league winner’s medals in each of the top two tiers of English football.
Among the main men in Leicester’s improbable 2015/16 Premier League title success under Claudio Ranieri – scoring 24 goals and netting in a record 11 straight games – the 26-cap England striker helped fire the Foxes back to the top flight in 2013/14 and 2023/24.
Andy King (Leicester City)
Another incredible story from Leicester’s immortal 2015/16 squad is that of Andy King, the 50-time Wales international midfielder who spent 14 years with the Foxes.
Topping League One in 2009, the Championship in 2014 and, of course, the Premier League in 2016, King became the first player to win all of England’s top three divisions with the same club in the Premier League era.
Roger Hunt (Liverpool)
Second on Liverpool’s list of all-time leading goalscorers, Roger Hunt spearheaded the Reds’ charge back to the top flight under Bill Shankly.
Hunt topped the 1961/62 Second Division scoring charts as Shankly’s side were crowned champions, then starred in two First Division title-winning seasons – finishing as the league’s leading marksman in 1965/66, after which he helped England lift the World Cup.
Ian Callaghan (Liverpool)
Liverpool’s record appearance maker, Ian Callaghan featured a whopping 857 times during a 19-year stay at Anfield – a period which saw him win no fewer than six league titles.
The midfielder really established himself as a Reds player en route to the 1961/62 Second Division title, before starring in six top-flight triumphs between 1964 and 1977.
Colin Bell (Manchester City)
Perhaps Manchester City’s greatest-ever player, Colin Bell played an integral role in the club’s 60s and 70s success.
The 48-cap England midfielder joined City from Bury midway through their 1965/66 Second Division title-winning season, before scoring 14 league goals as Joe Mercer’s team took the crown of 1967/68 First Division champions.
Mike Summerbee (Manchester City)
Another true Manchester City icon, winger Mike Summerbee was similarly integral to those second-tier and top-flight title wins.
Ever-present as City topped the 1965/66 Second Division, having signed from Swindon Town ahead of that campaign, Summerbee matched Bell by finding the net 14 times on the way to First Division glory in 1967/68.
Franco Baresi (Milan)
One of the game’s ultimate one-club men and among its finest defenders, legendary sweeper Franco Baresi won his fair share of silverware over the course of 20 years at Milan – of which he spent 15 years as captain.
The 1982 World Cup-winning Italian claimed six Scudetti with the Rossoneri, as well as two Serie B titles – the first, in 1980/81, coming after Milan had been relegated due to the Totonero match-fixing scandal.
Danijel Subasic (Monaco)
Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subasic topped each of France’s top two tiers in the space of four years at Monaco.
Having helped Les Rouge et Blanc back to the top flight as 2012/13 Ligue 2 champions, the former Hajduk Split man claimed the only league title of his career in 2016/17, when he was also named Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year.
Roberto Tricella (Verona)
Captain Roberto Tricella was among a number of players from Verona’s surprise 1984/85 Serie A title-winning squad who had been 1982/83 Serie B champions with the club.
The central defender, who was capped 11 times by Italy, wore the armband as I Gialloblu, under manager Osvaldo Bagnoli, claimed the only Scudetto in their history.
