Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo and Gianluigi Buffon are among the many European soccer greats that by no means bought their palms on the Champions League trophy. However that isn’t the be-all and end-all, as this lot will attest.
There have been some sensible footballers through the years who’ve lifted ol’ large ears with out actually having performed a job within the triumph, however their honours listing nonetheless contains what’s arguably membership soccer’s most prestigious piece of silverware.
Listed below are eight nice footballers who’ve a Champions League winner’s medal with out having actually contributed.
Cole Palmer
Again in 2023, Palmer was nonetheless being talked up as one to look at – albeit with cameo appearances few and much between as a fringe participant in Manchester Metropolis’s treble.
The Metropolis academy graduate watched on from the bench as an unused substitute in all seven of their Champions League knockout video games that season. His solely begin within the competitors that yr got here within the last group stage match, a 3-1 lifeless rubber victory over Sevilla.
Palmer subsequently began the next season’s UEFA Tremendous Cup victory over Sevilla, a recreation wherein he scored and was named Man of the Match. He was bought to Chelsea a few weeks later and the remaining is historical past.
“I give them to my mum. I needed to restock,” he instructed GQ of the medals he gained while at Metropolis.
“Clear them out so I can replenish once more. The sensation you get if you win… you simply need it once more. You don’t need to cease and by no means get that feeling once more.”
Aymeric Laporte
There was a time when Laporte was a key defender for Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Manchester Metropolis, however he’d been lowered to a job on the periphery for the 2022-23 treble season.
The defender solely featured in one of many knockout matches within the Champions League that yr, a second-half sub within the second leg in opposition to Bayern Munich – at which level that they had a four-goal mixture lead and their place booked within the semis.
Laporte moved to Saudi Arabia a short time after, however is now again in Spain with Athletic Bilbao.
Eden Hazard
The sensible Belgian famously introduced he was signing for the European champions, Chelsea, again in 2012. He spent seven years at Stamford Bridge and was among the many perfect gamers within the nation throughout that stint, however he not often made it to the latter levels of the Champions League.
The Blues went on to win it a second time in 2021, two years after he departed for Actual Madrid, and he finally bought his palms on the trophy the yr after. However he barely performed his half, having severely struggled to reside as much as his club-record €100million switch.
Hazard solely made one eight-minute substitute look within the knockout levels that yr, a late look within the 1-0 Spherical of 16 defeat to PSG.
He by no means made it off the bench within the second leg remontada and performed no half within the subsequent ties in opposition to Chelsea, Manchester Metropolis and Liverpool.
Billy Gilmour
Marcos Alonso, Hakim Ziyech and Olivier Giroud by no means made it off the bench in Chelsea’s against-the-odds 1-0 victory over Manchester Metropolis, however that they had all performed at the very least some sort of function within the run to Porto last.
Gilmour, alternatively, solely made one begin – beneath Thomas Tuchel’s predecessor Frank Lampard – in a 1-1 group stage lifeless rubber in opposition to Krasnodar.
The Champions League stays the one honour of the Scotland worldwide’s profession up to now, however you wouldn’t wager in opposition to him including extra beneath Antonio Conte at Napoli. Watch this house.
Joshua Zirkzee
Alright, “nice” may be a stretch if you happen to’ve watched Zirkzee’s fairly frankly baffling performances for Manchester United since 2024.
However the Dutchman earned loads of plaudits for Bologna final season, instrumental in Thiago Motta’s aspect punching above their weight to qualify for the Champions League in 2024.
Earlier than catching the attention in northern Italy, Zirkzee got here by way of Bayern Munich’s academy and was simply breaking by way of as a rotation choice for predominant man Robert Lewandowski of their 2019-20 treble-winning marketing campaign.
He obtained a Champions League winner’s medal as a young person, however his solely look was a four-minute cameo in a group-stage victory over Tottenham.
Daniel Sturridge
We really feel a tad harsh than this one. Not as soon as however twice, Sturridge did greater than a whole lot of the opposite names on this listing.
First up, the striker was really a outstanding participant for Chelsea in 2011-12. He began 28 video games of their disappointing Premier League marketing campaign that yr, and likewise began 5 Champions League outings, together with each legs of the final 16 tie in opposition to Napoli.
However he was withdrawn on the hour mark of their memorable second-leg comeback in opposition to the Serie A outfit and barely featured from that time onwards, an unused substitute in each legs in opposition to Barcelona and the ultimate in opposition to Bayern.
Latterly, he made seven appearances in Liverpool’s 2018-19 Champions League triumph, scoring and aiding in opposition to PSG and Crimson Star Belgrade respectively within the group stage.
However he solely performed 10 minutes within the knockout levels, was an unused substitute within the last, and solely appeared in injury-time – after all of the insanity – to assist see out the well-known comeback 4-0 win over Barcelona.
Maybe uncharitable, but it surely’s onerous to argue Sturridge taking part in any actual function in both Champions League triumph. Technicality is admittedly a stretch, granted.
Theo Hernandez
Arguably the easiest left-back in world soccer proper now, Hernandez has been persistently excellent for each AC Milan and France for quite a few years now.
Such is his type and standing, it wouldn’t be a fantastic shock if Actual Madrid take a look at bringing him again to the Bernabeu. However he barely made it onto the pitch the primary time round, firmly behind Marcelo within the pecking order.
Hernandez was an unused substitute in all seven of Los Blancos’ knockout matches of their 2017-18 Champions League win.
Ricardo Quaresma
Essentially the most enigmatic of enigmatic wingers, Quaresma won’t have hit the Ballon d’Or heights some believed had been his future when he signed for European champions Porto in 2004 however he nonetheless loved a wildly enjoyable profession.
Quaresma was twice named Porto’s Participant of the Yr, and even Portugal’s as soon as upon a time – forward of Cristiano Ronaldo – again in 2005.
He gained six league titles in Turkey and Portugal, numerous extra home honours, and was part of Jose Mourinho’s treble-winning Inter squad in 2009-10.
However as along with his Barcelona and Chelsea stints, Quaresma was simply too mercurial to be trusted. He performed a grand whole of two substitute appearances totalling 34 minutes within the Champions League that yr.
He didn’t seem in any respect within the knockout levels and wasn’t even a part of Mourinho’s matchday squad for the semis and last.
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