The UEFA Champions League is arguably the most coveted trophy in club football, but not every player gets to the lift the famous prize. While Cristiano Ronaldo has won it five times and Lionel Messi four, here are 10 big names who have failed to win the competition.
Click through the gallery above to see 10 high-profile stars who never won the Champions League, according to talkSPORT.
Some players are fortunate to play in successful teams in the biggest tournaments, while others, such as Messi and Ronaldo, have been decisive factors in their clubs winning the biggest trophies.
Others, like Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon – who was eliminated from the tournament on Wednesday night after PSG lost 3-1 in the second leg of their round of 16 tie against Manchester United – have struggled to make that difference. The 41-year-old, who has made 122 appearances in the competition, is yet to lift the famous trophy.
Watch: Giggs on Bale, Solskjaer his UCL favourites
Many believed the shot-stopper joined PSG to give himself a better chance of doing just that, despite his former club Juventus reaching the final twice in the past four years.
Another icon of the game who never tasted Champions League success is Ronaldo Nazario, who is still widely considered as the greatest No. 9 of all the time. Not only did the Brazilian fail to win the competition, but he scored just 14 times in it.
Journeyman Zlatan Ibrahimovic also features in the gallery, despite having represented some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Ajax Amsterdam, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.
'Ronaldo Doesn't Have The Talent Of Messi, But…'
Ex-Red Devils striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, perhaps surprisingly, also failed to win Europe's biggest club competition in his career, while Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski is the only footballer still playing in this season's edition of the tournament in talkSPORT's list – click through the gallery above to see all of the names!
Are you surprised by any of the names in the gallery? Let us know in the comments section below.
