As the champions league 2018 final comes up tomorrow, here is a list of 12 greats who never or have never won the UEFA Champions League.

12. Cesc Fabregas. 


Fabregas has made over 100 appearances in the competition, but the Spaniard was a runner-up with Arsenal in 2006, before earning his dream move back to boyhood club Barcelona five years later – just after they had won their fourth Champions League in its current format.

He left for Stamford Bridge in 2014, the summer before the Catalans' fifth and most recent success. Cesc would not have been amused.


11. Micheal Ballack. 


Finishing runner-up with one team is bad enough, but to do it with two must be galling. That's the fate that befell Ballack: first in 2002 with Bayer Leverkusen, then six years later with Chelsea.

The midfielder was on the wrong side of one of the competition's greatest ever goals in his first final defeat, as Zinedine Zidane converted with a magnificent volley. In 2008 he was forced to watch on as John Terry and Nicolas Anelka's missed spot-kicks handed the trophy to Manchester United. The German at least scored his own penalty that night (because obviously).



10. Ruud van Nistelrooy


There may be better players not on this list – and we did spend rather a long time debating some of the names at the bottom of this top ten – but none have scored as many Champions League goals (56) as the Dutchman without ever winning the trophy. He never even made it to a final. The closest he came was in 2002, when Manchester United lost on away goals to Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-finals. Those who believe that Sir Alex Ferguson never erred on the side of conservatism should note that he was roundly criticised for playing Van Nistelrooy as a lone striker in Germany after a 2-2 home draw.

It must hurt a little that Real Madrid won the trophy while he was at Manchester United and then Manchester United won the trophy while he was at Real Madrid. Having scored twice for the latter against Bayern Munich in the last 16 in 2007, he could argue that he had at least fulfilled his side of the bargain.



9. Patrick Vieira


A wonderful player but, unlike the equally wonderful Thierry Henry, he did not leave Arsenal and claim a Champions League trophy elsewhere. Instead, he left Arsenal and played them in the quarter-finals of the Champions League while in Juventus.It did not go well. To add insult to injury, he then picked up a booking that ruled him out of the second leg. And if you think that went badly, imagine leaving Inter Milan in January 2010 before they won the Champions League that May.

8. Hernan Crespo


Imagine scoring twice in a Champions League final – including one of the greatest goals ever scored on such a stage – and still ending up on the losing side. It’s that kind of sh*t luck that gets you onto this kind of list. And now imagine scoring twice in a Champions League final – including one of the greatest goals ever scored on such a stage – and then being replaced by Jon Dahl Tomasson before extra-time. Sob.

    Crespo went on to win four straight league titles with first Chelsea and then Inter Milan but never again reached a Champions League final, falling at the last-16 stage with alarming regularity; he was part of the Chelsea side who lost to Barcelona in 2006. He would later bow out of the Champions League with 25 goals in 65 games but no trophy.



7. Pavel Nedved


Agony and ecstasy. Hero to zero. No game of football captures those tired old cliches better than the Champions League semi-final clash between Real Madrid and Juventus when the brilliant Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved scored a glorious goal to help his team to the final and then needlessly hacked at the ankle of Steve McManaman to rule himself out of said final. 

    He did still win the Ballon d’Or that season but he remained devastated throughout his career, dedicating a whole chapter of his autobiography to the disappointment. He would go on to reach two more quarter-finals – losing to first Liverpool and then Arsenal in Juventus colours – but he twice missed out on the chance of redemption.



6. Fabio Cannavaro


The last player to win the Ballon d’Or without ever claiming the Champions League, the Italian is undoubtedly one of the finest defenders of the modern age. But where Djimi Traore has triumphed, Fabio Cannavaro has failed. He did reach one semi-final with Inter but painfully lost to AC Milan on away goals (even though both legs were played on the same ground) and would never again reach that stage with either Juventus or Real Madrid.

He played alongside Nedved in that Juventus side that lost successive quarter-finals to English opposition, and then was unlucky enough to play for Real Madrid in that cursed era when they could not make it past the last 16. He was 35 when he suffered the ignominy of losing 5-0 on aggregate to a Liverpool side featuring Andrea Dossena and Jay Spearing. “Giorgio Chiellini is my heir,” he said on retirement; it’s probably not a crown Chellini relishes when it comes to the Champions League.

5. Dennis Bergkamp


“It was somehow you’re building up and up and getting all the trophies and getting personal success and in the end you get to the Champions League final at last. Jeez! If only I’d been five years younger!” said the Dutch master when recalling the moment he finally reached a Champions League final with Arsenal at his eighth attempt. But then – with Arsene Wenger set on giving him a few minutes in what would have been his final appearance in an Arsenal shirt – Jens Lehmann was sent off and the Frenchman was limited in his tactical substitutions. It was not to be.

Bergkamp did retire with two UEFA Cups to his name (one with Ajax and one with Inter Milan) but he would never add the big one. Some might say that he should forfeit his place on this list because he refused to fly to so many European away games, but he remained a great player even when grounded. And he did make it to Paris on the Eurostar.



4. Gabriel Batistuta


What a player. What a legend. What a bloody icon . And yet he never even advanced into the knock-out stages of the Champions League. He did score some quite magnificent goals at English grounds. Those goals came in the season Batistuta had finished third in the FIFA World Player of the Year voting despite not actually winning anything of real note. Finishing third in Serie A with Fiorentina and still being voted third best player in the world; that was Batigol.



3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic


Arguably the most famous nearly-man in the history of the Champions League, Zlatan Ibrahimovic holds the undesirable record of the most appearances (120) without ever lifting the trophy.

He played Champions League football for Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.

Now at Los Angeles Galaxy at the age of 36, the Swede looks destined never to claim this grand prize despite a number of near misses.

He left Inter for Barcelona the season before they won the trophy under Jose Mourinho in 2010, eliminating his new club in the semi-finals.

Zlatan then departed Barca for Milan that summer and the Catalan side went on to win it the following year. Talk about frustrating!



2. Gianluigi Buffon

2003. 2015. 2017.


Three finals and three defeats for one of the world’s greatest goalkeepers.

“I want to end my career with a big victory. Twelve years ago, I won the World Cup, yet I’ve lost three Champions League finals,” said Buffon in October as he announced that he would retire at the end of this season unless he finally wins the Champions League. Right now it looks very likely indeed that he will retire having never won that elusive trophy. Because, well, he was a bit sh*t against Tottenham.

“Losing on penalties in 2003 was very painful, but since I was only 25, I was fairly calm because I was convinced I’d win many more. That’s the exuberance of youth,” said the Italian international, who is now lacking youth if not exuberance. And still lacking that trophy. May 19 2018, he played his final match for Juventus and called it quits.

1. Ronaldo


Simply one of the greatest footballers in history and yet he played in only 40 Champions League matches, limited by timing and then injury. He played for PSV and Barcelona in lesser European competitions and then his one campaign with Inter Milan ended against Manchester United with the two-time World Player of the Year missing the first leg and limping through an hour of the second leg.

Of course, 2003 – after a switch to Real Madrid – should have been his year, and many would have handed him a Champions League medal after his hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford. They faced Juventus in the semi-finals and Ronaldo scored the opening goal of the tie in Madrid, but injury struck once again and he played only 38 minutes of the second leg. The following year they drew Monaco in the quarter-finals and

this was to be Ronaldo and Real’s year; but they shockingly flopped thanks in part to his on-loan Real teammate Fernando Morientes. At 27, Ronaldo should have had other chances. But at 29, he played his final Champions League game. Fittingly, he scored twice.




Honourable mentions: 


Francesco Totti

Sergio Aguero

Roberto Baggio 

Lilian Thuram

Lothar Matthaus





Source:
https://www.football365.com/news/top-ten-best-players-never-to-win-champions-league

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5606977/The-best-players-never-win-Champions-League-Gianluigi-Buffon-bows-out.html

Chai!!
That name "Roberto Baggio."
My most favorite footballer of all time. #FootballLegend

Any such list without the mighty JAY JAY OKOCHA, is useless and worthless.

WHY OKOCHA NAME NOT THERE