Last update 9 June, 2023 by Alberto Llopis
At club level, there is no other football trophy more desired. course after course, teams and players compete for months to be crowned European champions. A veces, as close and easy as far and complicated. This is how this competition is as unpredictable to forecast as it is easy to know how to bet on william hill. In conclusion: not all football stars know success in Europe.
The conquest of the Champions League is an adventure full of obstacles; a winding road where even the smallest details acquire an unusual role and end up decanting the future of the participating clubs.
From Ronaldo to Maradona through the 'Quinta del Buitre'
various circumstances (a bounce, a card, an unexpected bounce of the ball, a player error, etcétera) have prevented many great stars of the sport from including their names in the tournament list of tournaments at club level. Others, on the contrary, They have several conquests. Now, we focus on those legends that never reigned in Europe.
Ronaldo Nazario: a striker who left his mark on football history and conquered the world with Brazil (on two occasions), but that he will always miss this trophy: “It is the title that everyone wants to win”, scored in a run that was stopped in the semifinals.
Lothar Matthäus: he won absolutely everything (with clubs and selection) y, as in Ronaldo's case, He also won a Ballon d'Or, but he could never win a Champions League. In this case, those little details prevented it: lost a final in stoppage time, against Manchester United and retired a year before his team, el Bayern Múnich, reign in Europe again.
Gianluca Buffon: the historic Italian goalkeeper was also on the verge of savoring a Champions League. Three finishes and three attempts without a smile. El Barcelona de Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid and a penalty shootout (ante el Milán) were their insurmountable obstacles.
Ibrahimović: Few players had the honor of wearing the historic jerseys of teams like Barcelona, Juventus, Inter Mian, París Saint Germain, Milan o Manchester United. the options were great, but he never managed to get beyond the semifinals when he was at the blaugrana club.
Two soccer stars: write down the names of two ball icons. Neither Pelé nor Maradona are on the list of Champions League winners. The former never had the opportunity to play in Europe; the second, He barely had the chance to get close to the 'Orejona'.
'Fifth of the Vulture': there are more names, of footballers who marked an era, as Roberto Baggio, Romario, Batistuta, Totti, Weah the Cannavaro, por citar algunos. ¿En España? The mind remembers the members of the 'Quinta del Buitre', who dominated spanish football, but they never beat opponents like PSV, Bayern Munich and Milan.
These are some examples known to all football fans, although surely they remember other names or other episodes that remained in their memory. What other players would you add to this list?? Who will be the next victims of the whims of the ball?