Spanish International Achieves Unprecedented Feat

Spanish international Alex Baena has become the first footballer to consecutively win a European Championship, an Olympic gold medal, and a World Cup.

A truly unique achievement. After becoming a world champion with Spain on Sunday, Alex Baena completed his collection of national team accolades, having previously triumphed at Euro 2024 and secured gold medals at the Olympic Games. He is the only player to have won all these trophies consecutively.

Baena was one of the key architects of La Roja's triumph at the 2026 World Cup, starting in seven matches. The Atlético Madrid player was only benched for the goalless draw against Cape Verde (0-0) in the opening match, which was the team's sole misstep in the tournament. After that, however, he was an undisputed starter in Luis de la Fuente's lineup. The winger scored the only goal in the 1-0 victory over Uruguay and provided an assist against Austria in the round of 16.

The World Cup title further enriches Baena's resume, as he was also part of the squad that won the 2024 European Championship. In the tournament held in Germany, he played just 25 minutes across two matches – against Italy and Switzerland in the group stage.

His limited playing time at Euro 2024 allowed him to be called up for the Olympic Games in Paris a few weeks later, where he established himself as an undisputed starter. In the final against France, which Spain won 5-3, Baena distinguished himself with a goal and an assist.

Only two other players have managed to win these three trophies (World Cup, continental championship, and Olympic gold) in their careers – Argentinians Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María. However, their successes were achieved over several years, not consecutively.

Alex Baena continues Atlético Madrid's tradition of having world champions in their squad, joining Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, and Alejandro Grimaldo, who was signed during the World Cup. A similar situation occurred with France in 2018 (Lucas Hernandez, Antoine Griezmann, and Thomas Lemar) and with Argentina in 2022 (Nahuel Molina, Rodrigo de Paul, and Ángel Correa).