5 Greatest players to never win the Premier League title
Over the years, the Premier League has been graced by some of the world's best players at any given point. From well-renowned superstars to the game's undisputed icons, the league has boasted of World Cup winners, Ballon d'Or awardees, and several other highly distinguished names.
Many have gone on to forge their legacies as some of the greatest to have plied their trade in England, including the likes of Ryan Giggs, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry and other high-profile names. While the vast majority of players considered 'legends' of the land are, in most cases, multi-time Premier League winners, there are some outliers.
There are players whose abilities and overall contribution to their sides were/are just so good that it's often difficult to overlook them despite not winning a title. They have rightfully earned their place alongside more accomplished names due to their outstanding achievements on the pitch.
On that note, here, we take a look at some of the best players in Premier League history who never managed to win the league. The list only includes players who played after the 1992 rebranding of the top-flight and needed to have spent a minimum of three full campaigns in the Premier League to be considered.
#5 Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur FC
Gareth Bale, the first of only two active Premier League players on this list, is one of the most explosive widemen the Premier League has seen in recent memory. The Welshman spent six years in North London, during which he went from being a promising left-back to one of the most coveted attackers in the world at the time.
His goalscoring exploits — including a career-best 21-goal campaign in 2012/13 — earned him a world-record move to Real Madrid. Bale went on to lift four UEFA Champions Leagues and two LaLiga Santander titles with Los Blancos before returning to Tottenham Hotspur on a one-year loan spell in search of game time.
Despite having a host of team and individual honours to show for in his career, Bale unfortunately never came close to winning a Premier League title with Spurs. The two-time PFA Player of the Year winner could potentially change that if he opts for a permanent return to North London after the expiry of his ongoing loan spell.
#4 Luis Suarez | Liverpool FC
Luis Suarez has spent the least amount of time in the Premier League among all the names on this list, but this cannot and should not discredit his surreal contribution to Liverpool in this period. The Uruguayan, who initially arrived at Anfield as a replacement for Andy Carroll, went on to become one of the best forwards to ever grace the land.
Suarez's 2013/14 campaign is still regarded by many as one of the greatest individual seasons in Premier League history. He registered a record-equalling 31 goals and 12 assists to go with it in 33 games. Suarez was awarded the PFA Player of the Year for that season, which also included three hat-tricks and a record ten goals in a month (December).
Overall, 'El Pistolero' scored a total of 69 goals and set up a further 23 in 110 appearances for Liverpool. Suarez would not have been on this list if things had panned out differently in the 2013/14 season as Liverpool's scoring machine nearly fired them to Premier League glory, ultimately losing out to Manchester City. The striker eventually moved to Barcelona in a £75m deal and won the treble in 2015.
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