The UEFA Champions League is among the most prestigious trophies in football. While most top-flight teams have had the chance to lift the big-eared trophy, some notable powerhouses have not won the Champions League, dubbed, ‘the world’s greatest club competition.’ In this article, we have listed the teams that ought to have won the trophy, but it is still a far-fetched dream.
1. Arsenal
Also known as the Gunners, Arsenal has not won the UEFA Champions League despite qualifying for the competition for a very long time. The closest they came was in the 2006 UCL Finals, where the Londoners lost 2-1 to Barcelona. The Gunners played with ten men and led in the first half, but two late goals from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti were enough to deny Arsenal their first UCL trophy.
2. Atletico Madrid
Nicknamed ‘Los Rojiblancos,’ Atletico Madrid is among the most successful club from Spain, but the team has not had luck in the UEFA Champions League campaign. The team has managed to reach three finals, but in all these campaigns, they lost. In two of the three finals, they have lost to Real Madrid, one of the club’s biggest rivals.
3. AS Roma
Despite being a household name in Italian football, AS Roma have never won the UEFA Champions League but have reached the finals once in a match which they lost to Liverpool. The club has been dominant in the Serie A and boasts three league titles, and nine Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana trophies.
The above are just some of the big clubs that have not won the UEFA Champions League. Other notable mentions include Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Sevilla, Lyon, Napoli, AS Monaco, PSG, and Schalke 04, just to mention a few. It’s such a shame that little-known clubs like Nottingham Forest, Steaua București, and Red Star Belgrade have won the UCL, but the above teams haven’t been lucky.