Vidal to Barcelona: Ibrahimovic, Robben and Europe's greatest league-hopping champions

Arturo Vidal's move to Barcelona opens up an opportunity for the Chile midfielder to win a league title in a third different European country.

Having won four Serie A crowns with Juventus and the Bundesliga three times with Bayern Munich, Barcelona's dominance of LaLiga last season makes racking up a league-hopping treble realistic.

The achievement would see Vidal move alongside the likes of David Beckham (England, Spain, France), Clarence Seedorf (Netherlands, Spain, Italy) and Thierry Henry (France, England, Spain) by enjoying success in a trio of European domestic leagues.

But as illustrious as that list of names may be, there are a select group of players who have gone one better.

Here, we take a look at five of the stars who have won league titles in four different European leagues.

 

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC (Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France)

A man well-known for his exploits across Europe, Ibrahimovic first tasted domestic league glory by winning two Eredivisie titles with Ajax. Three successive Serie A titles followed with Inter, before a stint with Barcelona saw him lift LaLiga in 2010. He returned to Italy with AC Milan to claim a fourth Scudetto but, after a record-breaking spell with PSG in Ligue 1, winning four championships, he was unable to steer Manchester United to Premier League silverware before departing for Los Angeles Galaxy.

MAXWELL (Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France)

It is very much 'as above' for Maxwell, whose career has followed a similar path to that of Ibrahimovic. After starting his senior career with Cruzeiro, the Brazil international racked up league titles with Ajax, Inter, Barcelona and PSG, amassing a remarkable haul of 33 trophies in total in all competitions over the course of his career.

ARJEN ROBBEN (Netherlands, England, Spain, Germany)

Early success in the Netherlands is seemingly an indicator of future achievements, as this list has and will continue to demonstrate. It is with PSV, rather than Ajax, that Robben kick-started his European trophy tour, before playing a part in Chelsea's first league win in 50 years. After chalking up a second title with the Blues, Robben won LaLiga with Real Madrid in 2008 before embarking on a period of utter dominance with Bayern, winning seven Bundesliga crowns since his arrival in 2009.

WESLEY SNEIJDER (Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Turkey)

Sneijder is the least prolific league winner on our list, having won one title in each of the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, with Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter. The only country where Sneijder is a multiple champion is Turkey, where he topped the table twice in three seasons with Galatasaray.

MARK VAN BOMMEL (Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy)

Van Bommel was part of the successful PSV side of the early 2000s, eventually earning himself a move to Barcelona. The Blaugrana won the league in his only season at Camp Nou, before he moved on to become an established first-team player at Bayern, winning the Bundesliga twice. His own story of success across Europe finished with a Serie A title at Milan, before ending his career with a final season at PSV.