Rohit Sharma press conference ahead of the India vs Australia ICC World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad.

#rohitsharma #indiancricketeam #iccworldcup2023 #worldcup2023final #cwc2023 #cwc2023final #indiancricket #viratkohli

The Champions League has always been a huge honour for any team. Teams like Real Madrid have won the trophy as many as 15 times while AC Milan, FC Barcelona, Ajax and Bayern Munich have won found success in Europe's biggest club competition. 

As a result, the players from such elite teams as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Ajax, and AC Milan dominate the charts of players with the most Champions League titles.

Also Read: Most Champions League titles won by Football Clubs

Players who have won the most Champions League titles

Iconic Real Madrid left-winger Paco Gento used to hold the record for the most Champions League titles by a player. He has won six trophies in his 18 years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, Real Madrid legends Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric and Nacho have equalled his record and became the only players to win six Champions League titles in the UCL era. 

Former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is tied up at 5 UCL titles with players like Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Larence Seedorf as well as other Real Madrid giants in Hector Rial and Marquitos, Lucas Vázquez, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and a few others.

Also Read: Top 5 Defenders with the Most Champions League Goals

Former Barcelona superstars, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, and Gerard Pique won four titles as a player. 

List of Players who have won more than four UCL titles:

Real Madrid CF announced that their captain, Luka Modric, will conclude his illustrious tenure with the club following the Club World Cup, set to begin on June 18 in the United States. The Croatian midfielder, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the club’s history, will bid farewell after an extraordinary 13-year journey.

Since joining Real Madrid in 2012, Modric has been a cornerstone of one of the most triumphant eras in the club’s storied history.

Over his 13 seasons, he amassed an unparalleled 28 titles, including 6 European Cups, 6 Club World Cups, 5 European Super Cups, 4 LaLiga titles, 2 Copas del Rey, and 5 Spanish Super Cups.

His trophy cabinet makes him the player with the most titles in Real Madrid’s 123-year history, a record shared by only five players in football history who have won six European Cups.

Modric’s individual accolades are equally remarkable. In 2018, he claimed the Ballon d’Or, FIFA The Best Men’s Player, and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards.

He has been named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI six times and was recognised as the Champions League Best Midfielder twice. On the pitch for Real Madrid, Modric made 590 appearances, scoring 43 goals, and earned a Golden Ball and Silver Ball at the Club World Cup.

Internationally, Modric is Croatia’s record holder for appearances with 186 caps. His leadership guided Croatia to a runner-up finish at the 2018 World Cup, where he won the Golden Ball, and a third-place finish in 2022, earning the Bronze Ball.

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez praised Modric’s impact, stating, “Luka Modric will forever remain in the hearts of all madridistas as a unique and exemplary footballer who has always embodied the values of Real Madrid. His football has captured the imagination of Madridismo and fans all over the world. His legacy will live on forever.”

Mumbai Indians are the fourth team to seal their playoffs spot in IPL 2025, defeating DC to get those concluding 2 points. As we move further in the tournament, the focus shifts from playoffs qualification to top 4 standings.

How can Mumbai Indians finish at the top of the points table? The calculation is pretty simple. Check them out.

Why Aim for Top 2?

The benefits of finishing in the top two in league stage are many.

• Double chance in Qualifiers: A sigh of relief as the top 2 teams will have double chances to reach the finals, playing Qualifier 1 & 2.
• Avoid Eliminator pressure: Finishing top 2 will provide the safety net and free them from knockout pressure in Eliminator, where a single bad performance can lead to elimination from the final race.

Read Also: IPL Playoffs: Teams with most IPL Eliminator defeats

How can MI finish inside top two?

• MI must win their final league stage game against PBKS (on 26 May) to keep their hopes for top 2 alive.
• PBKS need to lose another match to DC, which will restrict them from going beyond 17 points.
• RCB should lose both their remaining games (against LSG & SRH), which too will restrict them at 17 points. 

Here's how MI can be at top of the points table

If the scenarios mentioned above go in their favour, along with GT losing their last 2 games, MI will end at no. 1 in the table. Both GT and MI will have 18 points, and MI will be on top, given their NRR advantage.

Read Also: IPL Table toppers: IPL Playoffs teams from 2008 to 2025

Reasons why MI can't be on top two:

Rain can obstruct MI's way of reaching the top 2 in many ways.

• If the match between MI and PBKS gets washed out, they will end up with 17 points, making their chances slim.
• If the match between DC and PBKS also gets washed out, PBKS will go ahead with 18 points.
• If any of the last two games of RCB get washed out, they will also go ahead in terms of points.

With the IPL 2025 playoffs just around the corner, the tension is reaching its peak. Over the years, the Indian Premier League has given fans plenty of memorable moments full of surprises at the fag end of the group stage. Generally, the fans have to wait till the last over of the group stage to know who will qualify for the IPL Playoffs.

Sometimes, it even goes to the final ball as well, to decide the fourth team to qualify.

From teams that regularly reach the playoffs to underdogs who’ve shocked everyone, the path to the final four has always been full of drama. 

Let's take a look at the IPL Playoffs teams from 2008 to 2025.

Read Also | Most Wickets in IPL history

2008 | RR, KXIP, CSK, DD

2009 | DD, CSK, RCB, Deccan Chargers

2010 | MI, Deccan Chargers, CSK, RCB

Read Also | Most IPL Finals: Teams with most final appearances in IPL history

2011 | RCB, CSK, MI, KKR 

Read Also | IPL records: Most consecutive away wins in IPL history

2012 | DD, KKR, MI, CSK

2013 | CSK, MI, RR, SRH

2014 | KXIP, KKR, CSK, MI

2015 | CSK, MI, RCB, RR 

2016 | Gujarat Lions, RCB, SRH, KKR

2017 | MI, RPSG, SRH, KKR

2018 | SRH, CSK, KKR, RR

Read Also | SRH's poor performance and playoff hopes in IPL 2025: Can they rise?

2019 | MI, CSK, DC, SRH

2020 | MI, DC, SRH, RCB

2021 | DC, CSK, RCB, KKR

2022 | GT, RR, LSG, RCB

2023 | GT, LSG, CSK, MI

2024 | KKR, SRH, RR, RCB

2025 | GT, RCB, PBKS, MI

Barely a day after the Rajasthan Royals' IPL 2025 campaign ended, Jaiswal dropped a social media bombshell. "Whatever the future brings," Yashasvi Jasiwal's cryptic post after the Royals' end of IPL 2025 ignited a number of theories about his future with the franchise.

What exactly did he mean? What's next for the young star?

Yashasvi Jaiswal in IPL 2025

Yashasvi Jaiswal was the key player and highest run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025. The franchise retained him for ₹18 crore ahead of the tournament and which was totally worth it.

Jaiswal scored 559 runs in 14 matches, with 6 half-centuries to his name.

What went wrong for Jaiswal and RR this season?

Despite Jaiswal's individual brilliance with the bat, the team's campaign ended without a playoff berth due to lack of collective consistency as an unit. The youngest debutant, Vaibhav Suryavanshi's confidence with the bat, alongside Jaiswal, was also a notable aspect for RR.

However, the team only managed to win 4 matches out of 14 played.

Read Also: Top 10 fastest fifties in IPL history

The cryptic Instagram post

Jaiswal's initial cryptic post, "Whatever the future brings," immediately sparked rumours of his departure from the Rajasthan Royals after their iPL 2025 exit. However, he later edited the caption to minimize the narratives.

He quickly edited the caption to include gratitude for the Rajasthan Royals and clarify his "next challenge" was with team India. It was aimed to turn the potential exit hint into a forward-looking statement about his international career.

Here's the edited caption of Jaiswal's post:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Yashasvi Jaiswal (@yashasvijaiswal28)

It says, "Thank you, Rajasthan Royals, for everything. Not the season we hoped for, but continue to be grateful for our journey together. On to the next challenge 🇮🇳 and whatever the future brings YBJ 64."

Read Also: India A's squad for the tour of England: Easwaran named captain, Karun Nair makes a return

Reaction and speculation from fans

Some talk about him leaving RR's side, some see his potential to join KKR for the next season. 

Here's what everyone has to say about this.

He edited the post but the auction is still long away, Jaiswal to KKR is still a high possibility given that Jaiswal wants captaincy!!#IPL2025 #YashasviJaiswal pic.twitter.com/d3LmDR5pvS

— Navneet 🚩 (@MSDian067) May 22, 2025

Yashasvi Jaiswal ? pic.twitter.com/gmOYkD928Q

— Shah (@Iamshah0000) May 21, 2025

Something isn’t right ? 👀#yashasvijaiswal #RajasthanRoyals pic.twitter.com/7exDBhK9z3

— Sanju Samson Fans Page (@SanjuSamsonFP) May 21, 2025