Top five secrets to the success of Robert Lewandowski 1.
But that takes away no merit from the 16 trophies he won in his career including the EURO 1980 and the 1990 World Cup. Matthaus was a losing finalist in 1986-87 when FC Porto defeated the record German champions and he was also on the receiving end of bitter defeat in the famous 1998-99 final when Manchester United scored two late goals to break the Bavarians’ hearts. Similar to Chiellini, Matthaus came close to winning the title on two occasions. But once again, he never won the UEFA Champions League. He also won everything in club football representing Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
The legendary German is the highest-capped player for Die Mannschaft with 150 appearances. But nonetheless, the fact that Juventus were able to challenge these sides is in itself merit to Chiellini’s efforts with the record Italian champions. However, they were beaten FC Barcelona and Real Madrid sides respective years. Chiellini came the closest on two occasions in 2014-15 and then 2016-17, when Juventus reached the final. The latest of his 21 titles came when he led his national team to the UEFA Euro 2020 title.īut the only major piece missing from his set is the UEFA Champions League. The defender has made close to 550 appearances for Juventus and 114 for Italy and is still going strong at 37.Ĭhiellini’s CV boasts of 21 trophies for club and country. Giorgio Chiellini Chiellini led Italy to the EURO 2020 title (Courtesy: BeIn Sports)Ĭontinuing the list of great players who never won the UEFA Champions League is Giorgio Chiellini. But unlike the other great Italians in this list, continental success forever eluded the Roman Gladiator. Totti ended up as the highest assist provider in the competition. But his biggest moment would definitely be the 2006 World Cup win with Italy. Totti represented Roma a whopping 786 times, scoring 307 goals.īut for all his longevity and efforts, Totti could only win six trophies in his career. However, the Gunners were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona.Ī symbol of loyalty and passion, Totti is another legendary Italian who never won the UEFA Champions League. Bergkamp’s best chance came in 2005-06, when Arsenal reached the final of the UEFA Champions League. He also came runners-up in the 1999-00 UEFA Cup with Arsenal. Sadly, Champions League success wasn’t destined for the Dutch legend.īergkamp won two UEFA Cups with both Ajax and Inter Milan. Bergkamp scored 120 goals in 423 games for Arsenal and was part of the legendary “Invincibles” in 2003-04. But it was with the Gunners that he became a household name. Dennis Bergkampīergkamp represented three of the biggest clubs in Europe in Ajax, Inter Milan and Arsenal. He also heartbreakingly missed out on winning the FIFA World Cup when he missed a crucial penalty in the shootout of the 1994 edition. He never got to taste UEFA Champions League success. Like Cannavaro, Baggio also could only win the UEFA Cup in 1992-93. But his goalscoring returns never diminished despite changing clubs regularly. The Divine Ponytail, as he was fondly called, won the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year in 1993.īaggio represented the likes of Fiorentina, Juventus and the two Milan clubs. If Cannavaro established himself as one of the best defenders, Baggio established himself as one of the best forwards of his generation. Baggio was one of the most lethal strikers of his era (Courtesy: These Football Times)