Correct, it's surely what the player himself is and not his clubs haul of trophies.
Very few of you will remember or even know of the fantastic Johnny Haynes of Fulham, former England captain and rated by a lot of the world's experts as one of the finest footballers to grace a football pitch.
He played over 500 games for Fulham in 18 seasons. I may be wrong but I don't think he won a football trophy of any sort.
He was known though for being a leading light and instrumental in the breaking of the maximum wage imposed on pro footballers of £10 per week.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Haynes