5 greatest teams that failed to win the Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is the most difficult and demanding competition in club football, with the best teams in Europe competing against each other to be crowned champions.
Chelsea were the latest team to win the Champions League after beating favorites Manchester City 1-0 in Porto thanks to a Kai Havertz goal back in May
PSG are the favourites to win the Champions League this season
PSG arguably had the best transfer window in football history this summer as they signed Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum and Achraf Hakimi.
With the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar already at the club, PSG boast one of the best squads ever and are favorites to lift the Champions League.
But many of the best teams in the past have been unable to get their hands on the Champions League trophy. These team performed extremely well in their domestic campaigns but could not win the ultimate prize in Europe.
So let's take a at the 5 best teams who were unable to win the Champions League:
#5 Atletico Madrid (2013-14)
Since the arrival of Diego Simeone in 2011, Atletico Madrid have been one of the best teams both domestically and in Europe. He took over a team that had finished seventh in La Liga the previous season and had been knocked out in the group stages of the Europa League. The Argentine transformed them into one of the best teams in Spain alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona.
In the 2013-14 season, Simeone managed to clinch the La Liga title, Atletico's first in 18 years. They also became the only team in Spain to win La Liga other than Barcelona or Real Madrid since 2004. Los Colchoneros even managed to stay unbeaten in the Champions League, reaching the final all the way while conceding just six goals in 12 games.
They faced a familiar opponent in the final in the form of Real Madrid. Diego Godin gave Atletico the lead they would almost see out until the end before Sergio Ramos equalized in the third minute of stoppage time. The Los Blancos ran rampant in extra-time, winning 4-1 in the end.
Atletico got another crack at the trophy as they reached the Champions League final in 2016 but lost on penalties to Real Madrid again. Despite two near misses and the heartbreak that came with it, Diego Simeone has not given up on his Champions League dream yet.
#4 Borussia Dortmund (2012-13)
Like Simeone, Jurgen Klopp's arrival at Borussia Dortmund completely changed the fortunes of the club. Before Klopp came to Dortmund, the 1997 Champions League glory was by far the most prominent moment in Dortmund's European history. However, the amiable German brought the club back to continental prominence with his iconic high-energy gegenpressing system, which produced impressive results and excited neutrals.
Klopp established Dortmund as a major force in the Bundesliga, leading them to back-to-back Bundesliga titles before their run to the 2012-13 Champions League final.
Dortmund were drawn in a tough Champions League group with Manchester CIty, Ajax and Real Madrid. But the Germans topped the group without losing a game.
They defeated Shakhtar Donetsk and Malaga in the following rounds, with the latter being defeated by a stunning, last minute winner. Dortmund came face-to-face with Real Madrid in the semi-finals, winning the tie 4-3 on aggregate to set-up a first ever all-German final against Bayern Munich.
Unfortunately for Dortmund they fell to a spirited Bayern side who had lost two finals in three years, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat thanks to a late Arjen Robben goal.