6 Journeymen Who Played for the Majority of Europe's Elite Clubs

When the term 'footballing journeyman' gets bandied about, the initial image which springs to mind is of a robust, perhaps on the way to rotund, target-man who scores just enough to attract the attention of suitor, but not so many as to persuade his current employers to keep him.

However, in an age when a footballer ordering a steak could realistically expect it to come coated in gold, there is equally an elite alternative to the more traditional 'journeyman'.

In the grand scheme of things, only a tiny proportion of players make it at one of the world's biggest clubs and then there are even less who hop between these giants amassing a history of employers which reads like the Champions League knock-out stage.

These are the gold-coated versions of those archetypal 'journeyman' who skip between sides lower down the footballing hierarchy but instead trade one superclub for another - and then there is Nicolas Anelka, who has done both.

João Cancelo

Clubs: Benfica, Valencia, Inter, Juventus, Manchester City

The jet-heeled full-back may have failed to live up to his £60m transfer fee so far in Manchester, but this has not dissuaded interest from Barcelona as Cancelo could make it four of Europe's elite in four seasons.

Cancelo is still only 25 and given the deadly combination of his undisputed ability on the pitch and willingness to swap clubs, there could be many more high-profile destinations for him in the future.

Luís Figo

Clubs: Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter

The Portuguese winger may have only played for four clubs, which gives him a somewhat tenuous claim to the vaulted status of 'journeyman'. However, Figo did cross the clásico divide and then finish his career by winning four consecutive Scudetti with Inter which gives him extra points for the calibre of team he graced.

David Beckham

Clubs: Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain

Before Beckham even joined the list of galáticos in 2003 he'd already been name-checked in the title of a critically and commercially successful film.

At one point in his career, the boyhood Manchester United fan looked as if he'd never leave Old Trafford but after a wayward boot and butterfly stitches the global superstar turned out for several members of Europe's elite and somehow even seemed to make LA Galaxy look glamorous.

Zlatan Ibrahimović

Clubs: Malmö, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, LA Galaxy

From his days of stealing bicycles as boy in Sweden, Zlatan's undeniable talent saw him string together a sequence of transfers between European royalty with each move inevitably encompassing three things: goals, trophies and Maxwell.

Between 2001 and 2016 the enigmatic Swede turned out for six different clubs across three countries, claiming 13 league titles and at least one with each team until the sequence was ended with Manchester United.

Ronaldo

Clubs: Cruzeiro, PSV, Barcelona, Inter, Real Madrid, Milan, Corinthians

It says something about the calibre of player Ronaldo was that there is little ill-will thrust the Brazilian's way from either side of the clásico or Milan derby, despite the fact he crossed both divides.

Despite the profile of clubs, and talent he had, Ronaldo is one of the few Ballon d'Or winners never to have claimed Europe's biggest prize, the Champions League. This was mostly due to bad timing and the Brazilian was even a member of the Milan squad which triumphed in the 2007 final but was cup-tied and so never played a minute in the competition for the Rossoneri that year.

Nicolas Anelka

Clubs: Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, Fenerbahçe, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Shanghai Shenua, Juventus, West Bromwich Albion, Mumbai City FC

The ultimate journeyman of Europe's elite (and not so elite) clubs could be no one other than Nicolas Anelka. 'Le Sulk' was snapped up by Arsène Wenger through an exploitation of a loop hole in France's system for contracting youngsters.

The aloof Frenchman enjoyed two superb full seasons in north London - winning the double and Players' Young Player of the Year - before spending a single campaign with the ultimate 'superclub' Real Madrid, despite pledging allegiance to Lazio and Juventus prior to the move.

Among some surprising (but undoubtedly lucrative) sojourns in Turkey, China and India, Anelka - guided by his brothers - turned out for both Liverpool and (eventually) Juventus on loan. The rapid striker spent more time at Chelsea than any other club but even that only consisted of three full seasons.

For a player who won so much there is still a lingering feeling that Anelka never quite fulfilled his true potential - which can't have been helped by his nomadic approach to a football career.