History tends to forget losers, and understandably so, as sport is ultimately about winning.
However, there have been some exceptional footballers who have played in the Premier League who were not able to get their hands on the title, or at least haven’t been able to do so yet.
We’ve taken a look at the best players to play in Premier League without winning it and put them into a team, with the caveat that a player has to have completed three full seasons in the league in order to be eligible for selection.
Would this XI be able to win a title?
Brad Friedel
Brad Friedel’s career in England didn’t get off to a good start as he struggled to get much game time at Liverpool.
However, he was great at Blackburn, Aston Villa and Spurs and kept 132 Premier League clean sheets during his time in England.
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly was a great defender but his time at Chelsea came before the huge cash injections which made them a powerhouse.
Sami Hyypia
Hyypia was a rock of a defender for Liverpool. He arrived as a relative nobody and left as one of the club’s best defenders in modern times.
Leighton Baines
There was a period not too long ago where Leighton Baines was regarded as one of Europe’s best left-backs.
Juan Mata
It’s astonishing to think that Juan Mata has been in England for seven years at Chelsea and Manchester United respectively, yet he’s never won the title. He’ll be hoping to put that right this year.
Steven Gerrard
Perhaps the best player to play in the Premier League without ever winning it. Steven Gerrard carried Liverpool for a number of seasons and despite coming close a few times, he couldn’t quite get his hands on the trophy.
Xabi Alonso
Like Gerrard, Xabi Alonso scored a goal in a European Cup final but he too could never help guide Liverpool to the title.
Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale transformed from a young left-back into one of the best attacking players in the world whilst at Tottenham. Unfortunately for Spurs, Real Madrid swooped in for him before he could guide them to a title win.
Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez lit up the Premier League during his time in England. He scored 69 league goals in 110 games for Liverpool but he was unable to win the league before he left for Barcelona, where he’s pretty much won everything there is to win.