Ranking 5 greatest goalkeepers who never won the Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is the topmost competition in European club football. The continent’s strongest teams compete against each other for the crown of the best club in Europe. The tournament is in its 77th edition and is shaping up to be as highly contested as ever.
Goalkeepers play a crucial role in their team’s fortunes. In a format like the Champions League, a single mistake can cost the team a place in the next round. A goalkeeper’s mistake is easily the least forgiving among all positions on the football field.
Not all legendary goalkeepers have tasted success in the Champions League
Only Iker Casillas (57) has kept more Champions League clean sheets than Gianluigi Buffon (52) 🧤
Two greats 🔝
#UCL https://t.co/IbAEUTNd32
Iker Casillas is arguably the most decorated goalkeeper in the competition’s history. Not only has the Spaniard won three titles, but he has made the most appearances and kept the most clean sheets. However, his Italian counterpart, Gianluigi Buffon, hasn’t had an equally bounteous UCL career.
With that being said, let’s check out the top five best goalkeepers who failed to win the Champions League.
#5 Pat Jennings
Tottenham Hotspur legend Pat Jennings kicks off this list. The Northern Irish shot-stopper joined The Lilywhites in 1964. He spent 13 years at White Hart Lane, winning four major trophies in the process. Since he left the club, Spurs have won just five more pieces of silverware.
The legendary goalkeeper played for Tottenham’s rivals, Arsenal. Despite plying his trade in North London for two decades, Jennings didn’t win the European Cup, now called the Champions League. On a continental level, his most notable achievement was Tottenham’s UEFA Cup success in 1971-72.
On this day: Pat Jennings was born. Spurs 1964-1977, 1985-1986, 590 appearances (one goal in Charity Shield) http://t.co/VzDck13QxT
The former Tottenham goalkeeper played over 1000 games for club and country. He is regarded as one of the finest in his position in the English top-flight. Despite playing as a goalkeeper, the Northern Irishman scored a goal in the 1967 FA Charity Shield.
#4 Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff played for two of the greatest Italian clubs, Juventus and Napoli. A superb shot-stopper, Zoff kept 360 clean sheets in 720 top-flight games at club level.
Zoff won the European Champions and the FIFA World Cup in 1968 and 1982, respectively. The Italian great won several domestic accolades with The Old Lady, including six Scudettos and two Coppa Italia trophies. However, the European Cup/Champions League eluded him.
67 - Dino Zoff has made more saves (67) than any other goalkeeper in World Cup tournaments since 1966. Birthday. https://t.co/yawYkrzLB2
During his heyday, Liverpool and Bayern Munich dominated the European Cup. In 1982-83, Juventus lost 1-0 to Hamburg in the final of Europe’s major continental club competition. After this season, Zoff decided to call it a day to his illustrious career.