7 world-class players we can’t believe never played in a Champions League final
The Champions League is one of the most sought-after crowns in world football, with most players aiming to take home Europe’s biggest prize at some stage.
While some players win it multiple times in a career, many never get a chance at even attempting to get their hands on the trophy.
Here, we have looked into seven players who never made it to the Champions League final.
Ronaldo
Two Ballon d’Ors, two World Cups, two La Liga titles, a European golden boot award and many other honours line a very impressive trophy cabinet for the Brazilian striker.
However, the Champions League trophy eluded Ronaldo throughout his career, and he never got chance to lift it. His Real Madrid side were dumped out in the semi-finals by Juventus in 2002-03, which is the closest he ever came.
In 2006-07, Ronaldo’s AC Milan lifted the title, but as the striker had joined from Real part way through the season, he was unable to take any part in the tournament for the eventually victorious side.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Van Nistelrooy’s 56 Champions League goals are bettered by only six players in the history of the competition. He featured in Europe’s elite tournament on 73 occasions, but none of those games were a final.
The closest the Dutchman came was the semi-finals with Manchester United in 2001-02.
United had drawn 2-2 with Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg, Van Nistelrooy scoring a goal to send his side into the second leg level with the German opposition.
But that the second leg was drawn 1-1 away from home meant Leverkusen went through on the strength of the away goals they scored in the first.
Van Nistelrooy never got any closer once he had moved to Real Madrid later in his career.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ibrahimovic played 124 Champions League games, representing Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United in it.
He scored 48 games for the clubs he represented in Europe’s elite competition, with 10 of those coming in the knockouts.
However, the Swede only got past the quarter-final stage on one occasion. He reached the semis with Barcelona in 2009-10, where his previous side Inter beat them 3-2 to advance to the final.
Ibrahimovic might have had another shot at reaching the final in 2022-23, when AC Milan got to the semis, but the striker had been struggling with injuries all season, and did not play a minute of the Champions League campaign.
For the sheer number of top clubs he represented, and games played, it’s a wonder Ibrahimovic never got closer to the European crown.
Francesco Totti
Totti had a longer career than most players could dream of, beginning at 16 and ending at the ripe age of 40. A career spanning 25 seasons, and only ever in Roma colours, saw Totti play in nine separate Champions League seasons.
But not only did he never reach a final, he only got past the round of 16 once. That was in 2006-07, the forward directly responsible for his side reaching the quarter-finals given he scored and assisted in the second leg of the last 16 tie against Lyon – a 2-0 victory.
But Manchester United made light work of Roma in the quarters, smashing seven goals past them in the second leg, after the Italian side had given themselves hope by winning the first 2-1.
Totti’s Roma reached the quarters once more while he was playing, but he was not in the squad to see United ruin their European dreams again in 2007-08.
Pavel Nedved
Famously suspended for the 2002-03 final with Juventus, Nedved never got there again. The winger had scored in 2-1 quarter-final second leg against Barcelona to send Juve to the semis that season.
There, they lost 2-1 in the first leg, but came back with a 3-1 victory in the second, Nedved scoring what proved to be a crucial goal.
But not long after his strike, he was booked, meaning he missed the final – which Juve lost to Italian rivals AC Milan.
Fabio Cannavaro
One of the greatest defenders of all time, Italian centre-back Cannavaro represented three sides from his home country – Parma, Inter Milan and Juventus – and European giants Real Madrid in Europe’s elite competition.
It was his first Champions League season with Inter – five years after he was last there with Parma – that Cannavaro came the closest to the trophy.
Inter had conceded just one goal in their first three legs of knockout football, but their third, against rivals AC Milan, was their away leg of the semi-final, so the solitary goal which was scored by their rivals in the 1-1 draw was enough to knock Inter out.
QUIZ: Can you name every runner-up in Champions League/European Cup history?
Dennis Bergkamp
Bergkamp scored seven Champions League goals for Arsenal, but the Gunners only made the final right at the end of the Dutchman’s career.
Sadly, Arsene Wenger never called Bergkamp from the bench against Barcelona in the Stade de France back in 2006, meaning one of the greatest footballers of his generation never played in a Champions League final.
READ MORE: A world-class XI that we can’t believe never won the Champions League
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every club to win the Champions League/European Cup?