Explained: How did Cancelo get winner’s medal for Premier League and Bundesliga in one season

As City and Bayern won their respective league titles, Cancelo earned his winner’s medals from both teams.
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Bayern Munich and Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo joined an exclusive list when he won the Bundesliga title at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne on Saturday.

He became the only player to win the Bundesliga and the Premier League in the same season.

Cancelo played 30-odd minutes in the final game of the Bundesliga season against Cologne as the Bavarians scored an 89th-minute winner – through substitute Jamal Musiala – to secure its 11th consecutive league title.

Borussia Dortmund’s home draw against Mainz ensured that Bayern won the title on goal difference.

How did Cancelo win two league winner’s medals?

The Portuguese full-back has made 15 Bundesliga appearances since joining on loan in the January transfer window. He has scored one goal and four assists during his time at Bayern, switching between the left-flank and right-flank intermittently.

In the Premier League, Cancelo made 17 appearances for Man City in the first half of the season, scoring two goals and assisting one before securing the loan move.

As City and Bayern won their respective league titles, Cancelo earned his winner’s medals from both teams.

What does the rule say about eligibility to win the winner’s medal?

According to the Premier League rules set ahead of the 2012/2013 season, any player who has managed five appearances is eligible for a medal.

The previous cut-off that existed between 1992 and 2012 mandated that only players with a minimum of 10 appearances (including substitute appearances) were eligible for a medal.

In the Bundesliga too, players with a minimum of five appearances are eligible for a league-winners medal.

Who are the other players to have won multiple titles in the same season?

After winning the Bundesliga and Premier League titles, Joao Cancelo became only the third player to win two league titles in different countries in a single season. The other two players to do so are:

Daniel Amartey – Danish SuperLiga and Premier League

The Ghanaian defensive-midfielder won the league-winners medal for FC Copenhagen in the Danish Superliga after making 15 appearances in the first part of the season before joining Leicester City.

With five appearances in the Premier League, the midfielder became eligible for a Premier League medal too, after Leicester spectacularly braved the odds to win the 2015/16 title under Claudio Ranieri.

David Beckham – MLS Cup and Ligue 1

The former England captain bagged two winners’ medals in the same season after winning the MLS cup with the Los Angeles Galaxy before making ten appearances in Ligue 1 en route winning the league title with PSG in 2012/2013.

Winning the French league was the last feather in his cap after a storied career saw Beckham win six league titles and a Champions League with Manchester United in England before winning the 2003/04 Spanish Super Cup and the 2006/07 La Liga with Real Madrid.