In less than a year after lifting the World Cup with France, Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris has a chance to achieve a unique feat by following it up with Champions League trophy.
He could become the first player to achieve this while plying trades for a team in the Premier League.
Here are some of the players from the 21st century who have won the Champions League after a World Cup triumph.
2002/03: Brazil/AC Milan – Roque Junior, Dida
Defender Roque Junior and custodian Dida were part of the Brazil squad that won the World Cup in 2002 after defeating Germany in the final. At his peak, Dida was one of the best goalkeepers in the world, with both club and country feeding off his reliability.
The following season, the duo went on to win the Champions League with AC Milan. Dida was the hero in the final in which the Italian side defeated rivals Juventus on penalties.
2006/07: Italy/AC Milan – Filippo Inzaghi, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Alessandro Nesta, Massimo Oddo, Alberto Gilardino
Pirlo
The mid 2000s was an era of Italian domination, as exemplified by AC Milan’s control over Europe and Italy’s World Cup win in 2006.
Inzaghi, Pirlo, Gattuso and Nesta formed the core of what was a golden generation for AC Milan and Italy.
They first won the World Cup in 2006 after defeating France in the final following a penalty shootout. In the following season, AC Milan exacted revenge over Liverpool by beating them in what was the replay of the final of the 2004/05 edition.
2010/2011: Spain/ Barcelona – Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, David Villa.
Iniesta
Spain won the World Cup and two Euros between 2008 and 2012. In the same period, Barcelona won two Champions Leagues (2008/09 and 2010/11) with Manchester United staring below them on the podium on both occasions.
Pep Guardiola’s side has often been referred to as one of the best in modern football and the fact that it shared the same core with the Spain team at that time had a lot to do with their success under Vicente Del Bosque.
2018/19: France/Tottenham – Hugo Lloris?
Lloris is the only player from the World Cup winning French squad who will featuring in the Champions League final.
Should the Spurs custodian lift the trophy on Saturday night, he could become the first player to achieve the feat while playing for a Premier League club.
