The UEFA Champions League returns with a bang this week, and here are some of the unluckiest stars in the competition's history. These players have the most appearances in the UCL without ever lifting the trophy.
Click through the gallery to see which players have the most UCL appearances without adding a winners medal.
UEFA themselves revealed the list of some of the unluckiest players in the competition, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic being the player with most appearances in the competition, 124 games, without actually winning it.
He is followed by Gianluigi Buffon, who has made 121 UCL appearances, but never lifted the trophy. What makes it worse for Buffon is the fact that he is one of only three players – the others being Paolo Montero and Alessio Tacchinardi – to have lost three Champions League finals.
Michael Ballack is another player on the list after losing two finals with two different clubs. He reached the final with Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 and another with Chelsea in 2008, but both times ended in tears.
"It's hard to remember details of what happened when you lose such a big game," he told UEFA's website. "You just remember how much it hurt."
Read: 10 Highest Goalscorers In UCL Knockout Stage History
UEFA also mentions the most-capped players who did win the trophy without actually playing iin the final. Many still remember John Terry winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2012 but having to watch from the sidelines due to a suspension.
Real Madrid's Guti even has three UCL medals to his name, but didn't appear in one of the three finals.
Click through the gallery to see other players who failed to win the UCL, and let us know who do you think is the unluckiest star in the competition!
