The article was inspired by Three Lions captain Harry Kane, who moved to Bayern Munich to pursue his first league title, but his side fell far behind Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga title race. The following 10 stars are close to glory, but they have never been touched by the elusive league title. On the contrary, they are remembered as the best players who narrowly missed out on the selection.
10. De Rossi (Rome)
De Rossi has been able to solidify Roma's midfield every season, acting as a transition between defence and attack. Such an important player often wins titles, but De Rossi is not. He came close to winning the title three times, but he never managed to do so with Roma. In the 2016/2017 season, they scored 87 points, which is a remarkable achievement, but still four points behind Serie A champions Juventus. It was also a microcosm of De Rossi's luck in Italy, as he never won the Serie A title despite his excellent performances.
9. Marco Reus (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund)
Since playing for Borussia Dortmund in the early 2010s, Marco Reuss has been one of the most popular players among neutral fans. However, he always missed out on the Bundesliga trophy. Marco Reus joined Dortmund a year after Dortmund's triumph. They have been beaten by Bayern Munich every time since, including in the 2022/2023 season, when Borussia Dortmund drew at home to Mainz on the last day of the season, and if Dortmund win, they would have won the title, which also symbolized Reuss' struggle.
8. Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea, AC Milan, Tosu Sandstone)
When it comes to good and bad strikers, Fernando Torres is definitely the most recognizable. He was one of the best players in the world, both at Atletico Madrid and Liverpool. But he has struggled, including a disastrous experience at Chelsea. He has not won a league title in his entire career, although he has come close to it on several occasions. In the 2008/2009 season, Liverpool accumulated 86 points, four points behind champions Manchester United.
7. Gary Lineker (Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham)
Today's Gary Lineker always jokes with Alan Shearer about trophies in their careers on the show. Shearer has never won the FA Cup, while Lineker has never won the league. In pursuit of trophies, Lineker left Leicester City and switched to Everton, but he was narrowly defeated. In the 1985/1986 season, Everton were second with 86 points, two points behind arch-rivals Liverpool. Although he is one of the top scorers in Premier League history, he has never won the league title.
6. Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona)
Antoine Griezmann is one of the most watchable players of his generation, with his ability to break through defenders without much difficulty. However, he never won the league title.
5. Harry Kane (Tottenham, Bayern Munich)
Despite Harry Kane being one of the best strikers in the world at the moment, he has never won a top-flight title. Kane has been close to the Premier League title twice with Tottenham, and in the 2015/2016 season they ceded the title to Leicester City. A year later, they played their best football in the league, but they were beaten by Chelsea. This is a stark indication of Kane's lack of luck, which led to his move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023 in an attempt to win the top-flight title. However, it looks set to miss out on the top-flight title again in 2023/2024 and perhaps he is really under a curse.
4. Gordon Banks (Chesterfield, Leicester City, Stoke City)
At the 1970 World Cup, Gordon Banks made one of the greatest saves of all time, saving the shot of legendary striker Pele. However, despite his great success for England on the international stage, he never won the league title. Unlike the others, Gordon Banks has never come close to a league title. The best teams he has played for were Leicester City and Stoke City, and the best league ranking was fourth in 1963. Despite not winning the league title, he is still considered one of the best goalkeepers of all time, which speaks volumes about his talent.
3. Socrates (Botafogo, Corinthians, Florence, Flamenco, Santos)
Socrates is one of the greatest players in the history of football. Despite his talent, he never won the league title.
2. Bobby Moore (West Ham United, Fulham)
Bobby Moore will be forever remembered for leading LinkedIn Gran to World Cup glory in 1966, and although he is considered one of the best centre-backs of all time, he has not even come close to winning the domestic league.
1. Steven Gerrard (LA Galaxy, Liverpool)
Steven Gerrard is one of the greatest midfielders of all time, but he has always had a shadow – he has never won the league title. Gerrard's most famous mistake came late in the 2013/2014 season when he slipped at home to Chelsea and gifted Demba Ba a goal to seal the Blues' victory. Liverpool slumped in the next game and ended up second place. In the 2008/2009 and 2001/2002 seasons, they lost again and finished as runners-up. Steven Gerrard has won the Champions League and countless other trophies, but the Liverpool captain has always made mistakes in the final moments of the Premier League.