Ranking 5 greatest defenders who never won the Champions League

Fabio Cannavaro and Giorgio Chiellini didn't manage to win the Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, previously known as the European Cup, has contested for nearly 70 years. The legacy of a European club is often defined by the number of Champions League trophies they have won. Many clubs have won the tournament multiple times, with four clubs bagging it more than five times. Real Madrid have won the competition for a record 13 times.

Legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson has won the competition twice with Manchester United. He once said, “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.” The statement couldn’t be more spot-on when considering the Champions League. In knockout competitions, a strong backline is priceless.

Champions League winners have never been bereft of quality defenders

Paolo Maldini...

#UCL 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Serie A 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
UEFA Super Cup 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Coppa Italia 🏆

All-time greatest defender? https://t.co/Bd94044hQs

From Paulo Maldini at Milan to Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid, the Champions League has never been short on iconic defenders. Last season’s winners, Chelsea, were also defensively astute. They kept nine clean sheets in 13 UCL games in 2020-21. However, not all great defenders manage to win the competition.

Here are five of the best defenders who failed to win the Champions League.

#5 Gianluca Zambrotta

Gianluca Zambrotta, in action for Juventus

Gianluca Zambrotta is one of the most gifted full-backs produced by Italy. The ambidextrous defender was equally comfortable playing as a right-back or left-back. His attacking capabilities tempted managers to deploy him as a wide midfielder, where he excelled.

Zambrotta plied his trade at top European clubs such as Juventus, Barcelona and AC Milan. However, the UCL winners medal eluded the Italian. Despite this non-fulfilment, he put in some great individual displays in Europe’s elite continental competition.

🎂 Happy birthday to Gianluca #Zambrotta who turns 4️⃣3️⃣ today!

🇮🇹 9️⃣8️⃣
⚽️ 2️⃣
🥇 #WorldCup Germany '06 🏆🌍
🥈 #EURO 2000

👉 bit.ly/39LrSjF

#VivoAzzurro #AzzurriHeroes #Azzurri https://t.co/pbtBmcEBef

With Italy, the 44-year-old won the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was included in the 'Team of the Tournament'. He was also a part of the Italian team that earned a runners-up spot at Euro 2000. Zambrotta won three Serie A titles at club level, two with Juventus and one with Milan.

#4 Lilian Thuram

Lilian Thuram is one of the best French defenders of all time. The former Juventus centre-back won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup with Les Bleus. At club level, however, Thuram wasn’t as successful.

Thuram is known for his strength, aggression and pace. The 1997 French Player of the Year won a couple of league titles during his stint at Juventus. As far as continental success goes, he wasn’t as fortunate as some of his national teammates.

8 JULY 1998: Lilian Thuram scores his only two international goals (142 caps) as 🇫🇷 France beat 🇭🇷 Croatia 2-1 in the #WorldCup semi-finals.

Greatest ever goalscoring performance by a defender in a big game? 🤔 #UCL https://t.co/jzm0rfTvRz

Thuram never played in a Champions League final, let alone won it. His most notable achievement in an international cup was the UEFA Cup (Europa League) triumph in 1998-99. The French legend holds the record for most appearances for two-time World Cup winners.