1. Diego Maradona. The leader of the Argentina national team that won the 1986 World Cup was never a prominent figure in the European Cup/Champions League. He only played two seasons in the tournament, scoring two goals. Real Madrid eliminated him in the first round of the 1987-1988 season, and Spartak Moscow knocked him out in the second round of the 1990-1991 season.

2. Ronaldo Nazario. Like Maradona, the striker who won two World Cups and two Ballons d'Or was merely a visitor in Europe's premier club competition. "The Phenomenon's" best achievement was reaching the semifinals in the 2002-2003 season with Real Madrid, where he scored one goal but could not prevent Juventus from winning 4-3 on aggregate. With Inter Milan, Ronaldo reached the quarterfinals in the 1998-1999 season.

3. Eric Cantona. Cantona's best performance in the European Cup/Champions League was reaching the final with Marseille in the 1990-1991 season, where they lost 3-5 in a penalty shootout to Red Star Belgrade. When Marseille won the title in the 1992-1993 season, the former French forward had already moved to England. There, he won five English league titles and laid the foundation for the Manchester United dynasty. Cantona retired in 1997 at just 31 years old, two years before "The Red Devils" achieved their treble in 1998-1999.

4. Lothar Matthaus. In 1987, after conceding two goals in the 78th and 89th minutes, Matthaus and Bayern Munich lost 1-2 to Porto in the European Cup final. Twelve years later, history repeated itself for the midfielder who won the World Cup and the 1990 Ballon d'Or. Bayern led Manchester United from the 6th minute but conceded two goals in the 90+1 and 90+3 minutes.

5. Roberto Baggio. The player who won the 1993 Ballon d'Or and led the Italy national team to the 1994 World Cup final was born at the wrong time. When the Champions League expanded in the mid-1990s, he was past his peak. After selling Baggio to AC Milan in 1995, citing a decline in form, Juventus immediately reached three consecutive finals and won one title.

6. Romario. The 1994 Champions League final was a painful memory for the player who won the World Cup and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in the same year. Barcelona lost 0-4 to AC Milan, despite being heavily favored. After the match, AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini stated that Barcelona's arrogance motivated them. Before joining Barcelona, Romario was known as "the king of the penalty area," scoring 128 goals in 149 matches for PSV.

7. Pavel Nedved. The Czech Republic midfielder led Juventus to the 2003 Champions League final but was suspended due to accumulating yellow cards. His absence was a reason Juventus drew 0-0 with AC Milan over 120 minutes and lost 2-3 in the penalty shootout. Later that year, journalists recognized Nedved's contributions by awarding him the Ballon d'Or.

8. Fabio Cannavaro. The defender who won the World Cup and the 2006 Ballon d'Or was known for making poor club choices. He played for Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Real Madrid, but always joined when the club was in crisis, rebuilding, or past its prime. His best Champions League performance was reaching the semifinals in the 2002-2003 season with Inter Milan.

9. Gianluigi Buffon. The goalkeeper who won the 2006 World Cup is arguably the unluckiest player in Champions League finals, losing all three: in 2003 (2-3 to AC Milan in a penalty shootout), 2015 (1-3 to Barcelona), and 2017 (1-4 to Real Madrid). Patrice Evra holds the record for losing four finals in 2004, 2009, 2011, and 2015, but he won one in 2008 with Manchester United.

10. Antoine Griezmann. The player who led France to win the 2018 World Cup and reach the 2016 Euro final consistently impressed and disappointed in the Champions League. In the 2015-2016 season, he helped Atletico Madrid eliminate Barcelona in the quarterfinals and Bayern Munich in the semifinals. However, in the final against Real Madrid, Griezmann missed a penalty early in the second half. He later converted a penalty in the shootout, but it could not prevent Real Madrid from winning 5-3.

A 1-2 defeat to Arsenal in this season's semifinals concluded Griezmann's European career. He will move to the US next summer to play for Orlando City.

The list of superstars who never won the Champions League also includes: Patrick Vieira (pictured), Cesc Fabregas, Lilian Thuram, Michael Owen, Michael Ballack, George Weah, Hernan Crespo, Gabriel Batistuta, Dennis Bergkamp, Francesco Totti, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Ngoc Tuan

*Photos: Reuters, AFP, AP, Imago*