Finding footballers who have tasted the competition in five European major leagues is rare, but some have.
For footballers, playing for major leagues in Europe is always the objective of their career, whether they are from the football nations or not. European top leagues are well-known for their competitiveness, and it is necessary to improve the players’ quality in terms of their ability and mentality.
A chance to play in UEFA’s top leagues also gives the players an advantage. Not only does it help them understand the game tactically, but it also enables them to learn various football cultures and styles of play.
Throughout history, players who have been able to play in five major leagues in Europe have been rare. Let alone thrive in every one of them. Yet, some have such experience.
Justin Kluivert, the son of a former Dutch star in the 1990s and early 2000s, Patrick Kluivert, happens to be one of them. He has had the opportunity to play in five European major leagues: La Liga, Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Ligue 1, and currently the Premier League. He first applied his trade to AS Roma in 2018 after leaving Ajax. He did well in his first two seasons but then went on loan to RB Leipzig in 2020. He only contributed four goals and one assist in 27 games, but Roma opted to loan him out again. His next club was OGC Nice in 2021. The versatile winger improved as he featured in 31 games and registered six goals and six assists. In 2022, he was on the verge of joining Fulham, but it did not materialise due to the work permit rejection. So, he chose to go on another loan to Valencia. His contribution for Los Ches was even better, with eight goals and two assists, despite playing two fewer matches than his spell in Nice.
Finally, Justin made a permanent move to the English top flight last summer by signing for Bournemouth, which will face Chelsea in their final game of the Premier League. It might not have impacted anything on his team’s campaign except improving their position in the final standings. However, it could be decisive for the Blues, as it may lead to their return to continental competition. Chelsea tickets could be in high demand for that match.
Here are the other names with distinguished experience playing in five major leagues in Europe.
Stevan Jovetic
The Montenegrin international is another active major league player. His journey to explore the whole five top leagues began in 2008 when he joined Fiorentina. He was a prolific second striker for La Viola and helped them seal one spot in the Champions League 2010. Jovetic stayed in Florence until 2013 and moved to the Premier League by signing for Manchester City.
Unfortunately, his spell with the Citizens was disappointing. He could not get a nod in the lineup regularly and remained the understudy for Sergio Aguero. The former Partizan Belgrade man only made 44 appearances in two years and bagged 11 goals plus five assists in total during his time in Etihad. Such led to his return to Serie A on loan to Inter Milan back in 2015. He did help Inter finish fourth, but mainly as a substitute. Despite signing for Nerazzurri permanently in 2016, he was only a benchwarmer. So he was loaned out to Sevilla in the second half of 2016–17.
The Titograd-born forward opted to switch sides to Monaco in the summer of 2017. That was the moment he attempted to bounce back. He managed to help them finish second in 2018 and third in 2021. Overall, he registered 21 goals and five assists there. His final adventure in the major leagues was completed in Germany, where he joined Hertha Berlin in 2021. Unfortunately, he could not prevent the capital side from relegation. The 34-year-old frontman finally left the Bundesliga to play for Olympiakos last summer. The Greek side has just reached their first-ever European final after trashing Aston Villa in the UEFA Conference League semi-final last weekend.
Christian Poulsen
The current Denmark national team assistant manager was the next one on the list. He had spells in five major leagues during his career. His longest stint was in the Bundesliga when he played for Schalke 04. He stayed for four years and helped them win the DFB Pokal in 2005. His next destination was La Liga when he joined Sevilla in 2006. Poulsen also contributed well when they defended the UEFA Cup, snatched the UEFA Super Cup, and won the Copa del Rey at the end of the 2006/07 campaign.
The former defensive midfielder then plied his trade to Serie A with Juventus in 2008 and EPL with Liverpool in 2010. Unfortunately, neither of his attempts resulted in any silverware for his clubs. He eventually moved to French side Evian in 2011, followed by a two-year stint at Ajax from 2012 to 2014, where he won the Eredivisie twice before returning to FC Copenhagen.
Florin Raducioiu
He was known as a Romanian hero along with Georghe Hagi at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, scoring four goals and making one assist in the tournament. Raducioiu also helped Romania qualify for EURO 1996, their first European championship since France in 1984.
The former Dinamo Bucharest man first spent his career abroad in Italy with Bari and then Verona from 1990 to 1992 after the 1990 World Cup, where he was scoreless throughout the tournament. His stints at both clubs were not satisfactory at all for a forward. In total, he only netted seven times and provided three assists in 68 games. However, it did not stop AC Milan from signing him as a backup for Jean Pierre Papin and Marco Van Basten. Raduciou only appeared in 14 games, scoring four times in the 1993–94 campaign.
The striker with 40 international caps then switched sides to Espanyol in 1994, but went on loan twice with West Ham in 1996 and Joachim Low’s VfB Stuttgart in 1997. Neither of his loan spells impressed the fans.
After playing for four major leagues, Radiucioiu moved back to Serie A by joining Brescia in 1998. After a brief return to his first club, Dinamo Bucharest, he signed for AS Monaco in 2001. Sadly, he never became the first choice for the French giant for two seasons. The Romanian frontman eventually hung up his boots after a short stint with Ligue 2 side US Creteil in 2004.
