The greatest footballers to have never won the Champions League – ranked

The Champions League is the pinnacle of club competitions, and every player wants to win the trophy. However, some of the game's legendary players have failed to win the competition, despite winning World Cups and hauling in other titles. All statistics per Transfermarkt.

Francesco Totti, otherwise known as 'The Emperor of Rome,' was loyal to his boyhood club, AS Roma. He made 786 appearances for the club and refused to join a bigger club to stay in the Italian capital.

If he had left Roma, Totti might not have been on this list, but due to his heartfelt love for his home city, Totti only reached the last eight of the Champions League, failing to make it beyond that stage.

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Despite being the top scorer of the Champions League in three seasons and scoring the sixth-highest 56 goals in the tournament, Ruud van Nistelrooy could never translate his goals into a Champions League winner's medal.

Van Nistelrooy is the highest scorer in the tournament, never to secure a winner's medal. He played for Manchester United and Real Madrid, reaching the semi-finals in 2002 with United.

Legendary defender Fabio Cannavaro led his Italian team to World Cup glory in 2006, but he could not win the Champions League despite playing for Inter, Juventus, and Real Madrid.

Cannavaro played in 62 UEFA Champions League matches in his career, but had more success in the UEFA Cup, winning the tournament with Parma in 1999. The 2006 Ballon d'Or winner reached the semi-finals in 2003 with Inter Milan.

Sergio Agüero is Manchester City's most legendary and successful striker, spearheading the team during their most trophy-laden spell, securing 15 major titles, including five Premier League titles.

Despite all his domestic success, Agüero could never help Manchester City win the Champions League in his tenure, losing in the 2021 final to Chelsea. He scored 41 goals in 79 Champions League games and even won the Europa League with Atlético Madrid.

Eric Cantona was a genius on the football pitch for Manchester United, becoming the first foreign superstar to grace the Old Trafford pitch. He won four Premier League titles and two FA Cups with United, but never won the Champions League.

In 1997, at 30, Cantona unexpectedly retired from football because he lost the passion for the game. In 1999, Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United won the Champions League, completing the first treble by a British club. He was only 33.

Dutch maestro Dennis Bergkamp is regarded as one of Ajax and Arsenal's greatest players. During his career, he won a plethora of trophies. The Premier League 'Invincible' won the UEFA Cup in 1992 and 1994, but never won the Champions League.

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Bergkamp finally reached the Champions League final in his final professional game, with Arsenal facing FC Barcelona. Despite Arsenal taking the lead through Sol Campbell, late goals from Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti stopped Bergkamp from a fairytale goodbye.

Patrick Vieira was one of the most dynamic players in European football, but his terrible luck in the Champions League is extraordinary, considering the number of trophies he secured for Arsenal and Inter Milan.

The French midfielder left Arsenal and joined Inter Milan, a season before Arsenal reached the Champions League final. He also left Inter Milan in January 2010, six months before Inter secured the Champions League title. He wasn't eligible for a medal.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played for the biggest European clubs, including Juventus, Inter Milan, FC Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG, and Manchester United. Ibrahimovic never played in the Champions League final despite his domestic success with these clubs.

Ibrahimovic has the joint record of making the most Champions League appearances (124) without lifting the trophy. He won the Super Cup in 2009 with FC Barcelona and the Europa League in 2017 with Manchester United.

Gianluigi Buffon is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world. With Juventus, he won the 2006 World Cup and ten Serie A titles and made 124 Champions League appearances, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Despite his international and domestic success, Buffon reached the Champions League final on three occasions, losing every single one. He made two shoot-out saves in 2003, but still lost to AC Milan and 3-1 and 4-1 to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in 2015 and 2017.

Brazilian legend Ronaldo is one of the greatest strikers in history. He was Brazil's hero at the 2002 World Cup and played for top European clubs such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.

The three-time FIFA World Player of the Year and two-time Ballon d'Or winner never reached the Champions League final, with FourFourTwo naming him the greatest player not to win the trophy. He won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1997 and the UEFA Cup in 1998.

Many consider Diego Maradona the greatest player of all time, but his international success with Argentina overshadows his lack of success in Europe.

The 1986 World Cup winner played for FC Barcelona and Napoli during his playing days, but the best he ever did was win the UEFA Cup in 1989 with the Italian outfit. Had he played in Europe longer, would he have secured a European Cup/Champions League winners' medal?

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