Tonight at Wembley, Real Madrid will be looking to win the UEFA Champions League for the 15th time, closing off an incredible season.
But Borussia Dortmund, a German team that has set its sights on the most coveted prize in club football despite a mediocre season, stands in their way.
While prominent Real Madrid players like Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modric want to add a sixth Champions League championship to their already outstanding trophy collection, a number of elite players were never given the chance to win this esteemed competition.
10 top players who never won the Champions League trophy
We look at some of the best players in the world who have never taken home the prized trophy as the Champions League final draws near tonight.
Gianluigi Buffon
The Champions League trophy has eluded the legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon despite his illustrious career.
Known primarily for his exploits with Juventus, Buffon also had a brief stint with PSG. However, it was with Juventus that he came agonisingly close to winning the Champions League, reaching the finals three times (2003, 2015, and 2017), only to fall short on each occasion.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic featured for Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG and Manchester United. However, the closest he came to winning was in 2010 when Barcelona got to the semi-finals getting eliminated by eventual winners Inter Milan.
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima
Ronaldo, rguably the world’s greatest no 9 astonishingly failed to lay hands on the trophy. Played at Inter Milan and Real Madrid and the closest he came to winning was in 2003, when he got to the semi-finals with Real Madrid where the then defending champions got eliminated by Juventus.
Michael Ballack
The former German star had an outstanding club career with Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munchen and Chelsea in England but only settled for the Champions League silver medal on two occasions. 2002 with Bayer Leverkusen and 2008 with Chelsea.
Georgio Chiellini
Georgio Chiellini after several years with Juventus missed out on winning the trophy in 2017 when they lost 4-1 to Real Madrid in the final.
Francesco Totti
Rome’s beloved football icon, Francesco Totti, dedicated his entire career to AS Roma but never managed to clinch the prestigious UEFA Champions League trophy. The closest he came was reaching the quarter-finals in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Despite his immense talent and loyalty to Roma, the coveted Champions League title remained elusive throughout his illustrious career.
Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez found his form during a period when Barcelona was dominating European football, making it surprising that he never won a Champions League title with the Blaugrana. Even after transferring to Arsenal and later to Manchester United, he was unable to clinch the trophy. The closest he came was with Barcelona, reaching the semi-finals in 2012 and 2013, only to be defeated by Chelsea and Bayern Munich, respectively.
Cesc Fabregas
Fabregas played in the 2006 final with Arsenal against Barcelona but los to the Spanish side where he would eventually switch camps to and later to Chelsea. Despite his remarkable qualities on the ball, he was unfortunate to win the title.
Dennis Bergkamp
Despite his contribution to Arsenal’s invincible run to win the Premier League gold trophy, Dennis Bergkamp’s ball-playing brilliance couldn’t secure him the most prestigious club football title.
The closest he came was in 2006 when Arsenal reached the Champions League final, only to be defeated by Barcelona. Despite his exceptional career and contributions to the game, the Champions League trophy remained out of his grasp.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Played for PSV in the Netherlands as well as Real Madrid in Spain but it was in Manchester that Ruud Van Nistelrooy became a household name with Manchester United. However, he could only experience a semi-final game with the Red Devils in 2002 getting eliminated by Bayer Leverkusen.