There are major big names who had their careers in Europe and never won a Champions League despite all their success.
Although it is among the most difficult to win, confident athletes and institutions have intensely disliked doing so.
For example, players like Dani Carvajal, Luca Modric, and Karim Benzema have all won it five times with Real Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo has received the trophy five times, albeit with Los Blancos on four occasions (his inaugural victory was with Manchester United).
For example, Xavi Hernandez led Barcelona to four European championships and is regarded by many as the most outstanding midfielder ever to dominate the competition.
Others, however, have achieved remarkable success in their professional lives without ever acquiring this specific silverware.
In light of this, Mysportdab has compiled a ranking of the greatest players lineup who never won the Champions League.
Table of Contents
Gianluigi Buffon
Buffon captained Juventus to the final in 2015 and again in 2017, but in both cases, the Italian team fell to Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.
2018, he may have hoped for a second opportunity at greatness with Paris Saint-Germain, but the French squad only advanced to the quarterfinals.
Now playing for his childhood club, Parma, in Serie B, he may look back on his two seasons after returning to Juventus with further last-16 sadness and consider the Champions League a missed opportunity.
READ MORE – 10 Best Current Players Yet to Win Champions League
Buffon has won eleven domestic league championships in addition to the World Cup, and he will forever be remembered as one of the best goalkeepers of all time.
despite the failures above in Europe, including a red card in the 2017/18 quarterfinal loss to Real Madrid.
Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram’s booming voice was heard calling for the rights of Black people in France, same-sex couples seeking adoption, and their right to be married, both before and after the football match.
He also marshalled his backline with this voice. Thuram was an unsung hero during France’s 1998 World Cup victory and wasn’t only on the field.
Fabio Cannavaro
The 5-foot, 9-inch centre defender was a lynchpin for every team he played for, having won major titles in his own country and Spain with Real Madrid.
When Italy went down to Germany in 2006, they held five clean sheets and let in only two goals—neither of which came from open play.
However, in the Champions League, Cannavaro could never reach the same degree of success.
Even though both matches were played at San Siro, the merciless two-legged derby between Inter and AC Milan in 2002–03 ended in a draw thanks to away goals. That was the farthest he ever got.
Laurent Blanc
Laurent Blanc never won the Champions League despite playing for many elite teams, including Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Manchester United.
Like Thuram, the pleasure of winning Euro 2000 and the 1998 World Cup more than made up for that loss.
Although Blanc would later lead PSG and France, he never reached the Champions League quarter-finals as a coach.
Gianluca Zambrotta
While Zambrotta was at Barcelona, the La Liga heavyweights went through a patch of good form. Along with his time in Spain, the fullback had fruitful seasons with Milan and Juventus, although he, like many other great Italians, was never able to win the Champions League.
Given that all of these players were part of the 2006 World Cup winning squad, it’s shocking that they couldn’t crack the European club football league, particularly given Juventus’s recent string of championship-calibre defences.
Patrick Vieira
When Patrick Vieira isn’t embarrassingly shadow-boxing Roy Keane or getting his soul probed by his scary ex-rival, he’s either managing the team or commentating on games.
The courageous Frenchman had a trophy case full of personal accolades and played for invincibles and serial champions, yet he retired with one glaring omission: the Champions League.
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp potentially possesses the most exceptional justification for the fact that a player of his calibre never won the Champions League: an irrational dread of flight.
This meant he would travel by any other land or sea route if feasible; however, if no other option existed, he would occasionally be forced to miss club and national matches.
Thus, he was restricted to forty appearances in Europe’s most arduous competition and had already passed his prime by the time the Gunners reached the championship match.
During the 2005-06 season, he appeared in just three appearances in Europe (albeit in the semifinal victory over Villarreal), and he did not come off the substitute against Barcelona. In the summer of that year, he retired.
Michael Ballack
Upon his transfer from Leverkusen to Bayern Munich in 2002, following his heartbreaking loss to Real Madrid, 25-year-old Michael Ballack likely anticipated more significant opportunities to contend for the Champions League.
Although he went on to win thirteen more major trophies for Bayern and Chelsea, that Zinedine Zidane volley must still torment him because he never came close to achieving the feat. At a minimum, he ought to have advanced to one more final.
However, his eloquent protests and arm-waving against referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, who awarded Chelsea approximately 65 penalties in their 2009 semifinal match against Barcelona, were incoherent.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ibrahimovic was a member of seven distinct Champions League clubs before his 2018 transfer to the MLS club, the LA Galaxy.
The Swede advanced with Barcelona to the semifinals before separating with manager Pep Guardiola following the club’s elimination by his former club, Inter Milan.
He rejoined AC Milan, but further setbacks ensued when Tottenham unexpectedly eliminated the Italians in the round of 16.
Despite scoring more than 500 goals in club football, Ibrahimovic will likely be remembered more for his personality and skill than for his concrete accomplishments.
Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona, one of the most exceptional imports to grace English football, consistently managed to inject some degree of amusement into the match, albeit occasionally for unsatisfactory reasons.
Considering his considerable aptitude, It is somewhat startling to discover that he appeared in the Champions League a mere 21 times.
During his subsequent sixteen appearances, he contributed to eleven goals.
Due to his untimely retirement in 1997, he was not a participant in the Red Devils’ championship season of 1998-99.
Ronaldo
Ronaldo is an undisputed legend of football. However, he could not secure the Champions League but was among Brazil’s best to hail when it comes to greatest names.
Barcelona did not participate in the competition during his tenure at AC Milan, nor did they make any appearances in Europe.
