Aaronson, Reinier, Paulinho & Co. - Players with two national titles within 12 months

Last weekend Red Bull Salzburg secured their 15th Austrian Bundesliga title overall and their eighth title in a row. A relevant title from an American perspective as head coach Jesse Marsch has now successfully defended last year's double. Meanwhile, for Marsch's American playmaker Brenden Aaronson it was the first national championship in Europe.

The 20-year-old, however, already had a taste of holding up a shield at the end of a league campaign. In November 2020, Aaronson secured the Supporters' Shield—handed out to the team with the most regular-season points during the Major League Soccer season—with the Philadelphia Union. Although technically not a national championship, the league title secures qualification for the Concacaf Champions League.

Although the Supporters' Shield ranks behind the MLS Cup, Aaronson pointed out in a recent Transfermarkt interview that it is the more honest of the two titles. "You can be fantastic all season, and then you lose one game," Aaronson said about the MLS Cup playoffs. "I think to show what we did last season, how we won the Supporters' Shield, which is a little bit underrated. We beat New England four times in the regular season, and then they beat us in the first round. It is kind of annoying." 

Two league titles within 12 months - Aaronson writes history 

Perhaps Aaronson will find some comfort in the fact that winning the Supporters' Shield has secured him a place in the history books. Because just six players have won two league titles across two continents within 12 months over the last ten years—the list only includes players that were under contract when their club won the title. 

The most famous example in recent years is the Brazilian Reinier. Currently, on loan at Borussia Dortmund, the attacking midfielder won the Brazilian Série A with Flamengo in December 2019 and then the LaLiga title with Real Madrid in July 2020. But unlike Aaronson, Reinier did not manage a first-team appearance for Real Madrid. 

Aaronson is, however, not the first MLS player to manage two league titles across two continents. In 2018 Marc Rzatkowski first won the Austrian Bundesliga title with Red Bull Salzburg and then the Supporters' Shield with New York Red Bulls. Since 1999 only 21 players have managed to win two league titles across two continents within 12 months. Reinier aside, 17 more Brazilian-born players are on the list. The list includes famous names like Paulinho, Deco, and Adriano.