10 legends who have never won a major international trophy

Winning a World Cup trophy, a Euro Championship or a Copa America is the ultimate goal of every football player. Failure to do so will always be considered a blemish on the footballer's career; it wouldn't be wrong to say that a footballer would never feel completely content without winning a major international trophy. At the same time, winning an international trophy needs a combination of team work, luck and individual brilliance. Being a great player does not mean that you are guaranteed to win a major international tournament.Here is a list of great players who failed to win any international tournament.

#10 Lionel Messi - Argentina

Messi no international trophy — Messi has been on the losing side in three consecutive finals

Supporters and experts calls him alien, superhuman and what not, but Lionel Messi has never has won silverware with Argentina at the senior level. He may have won everything there is to win at the club level with Barcelona but, on the international stage, he has not been able to recreate the magic which fetched him five Ballon d’Or awards.

He has won the Olympic Gold medal and FIFA U-20 World Cup for Argentina. At the senior level, he has come close four times – when Argentina reached the finals of 2007 Copa America, the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America and the 2016 Copa America. But Brazil thrashed them 3-0 in 2007 and Germany beat them 1-0 in 2014, while Chile defeated Argentina in both 2015 and 2016.

Messi was awarded the Golden Ball in 2014 but it was a controversial decision as he did not score after the group stages. He finished with four goals and one assist in the tournament.

In the 2006 World Cup, Jose Pekerman used a 17-year-old Messi more as an impact substitute. In the 2010 World Cup, Argentina were thrashed 4-0 in the quarter-final by Germany. He failed to score in that tournament, but he did well in patches, earning a man of the match award.

He failed to score once again at the 2011 Copa America but managed to give three assists before Argentina were knocked out in the quarter-final by Uruguay. Messi performed much better in the last two Copa Americas and the 2014 World Cup, but his missed penalty in the 2016 final against Chile will rankle long and hard.

#9 Oliver Kahn - Germany

Oliver Kahn has been one of the most successful and consistent German players during their drought period. The goalkeeper started his senior international career in 1994 when he was called in as a late reinforcement. In the 1998 World Cup, first choice shot-stopper Andreas Köpke called time on his career and Kahn became Germany’s no.1 in front of goal.

While the 1998 World Cup was a dreadful experience for Die Mannschaft, the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan was Kahn’s career-defining tournament as he rose to the occasion even after his team were accused of being inconsistent at times.

Kahn was almost impenetrable as he conceded only one goal against Northern Ireland until Brazil scored twice in the final. He kept 5 clean sheets overall and won the Golden Ball award which made him the first goalkeeper in the history of the World Cup to do so.

He has eight Bundesliga, six DFB Pokals and a Champions League medal. On a personal note, he was selected as UEFA’s Best Goalkeeper for four consecutive seasons from 1999 to 2002.

Note: Kahn was in the 1996 squad that won the Euros but he did not play a single minute as Kopke started and finished every game.

#8 Michael Ballack

Michael Ballack was known for his passing range, scoring ability, dead ball skills and commanding presence in midfield. The former German captain had a wonderful career but he is also known to be one of the most unlucky players in finals. He could not win any major international trophies despite coming close on few occasions.

The former Bayern Muich and Chelsea man has both World Cup and Euro runners-up medals when he was part of the German side that lost to Brazil in the 2002 World Cup final and to Spain in the Euro 2008 final.

He was the captain of the German team that finished third at the 2006 World Cup as well. He was part of both 2002 and 2006 World Cup all-star teams. Though he left the team on a sour note, his impact for the national team has been significant

At club level, he has won four Bundesliga titles, one Premier League trophy, three DFB Pokals and three FA Cups. He also has two Champions League runners-up medals – once with Bayern Leverkusan and once with Chelsea.

#7 Robert Baggio - Italy

Roberto Baggio, the pony-tailed genius is widely regarded as one of the greatest Italian players ever. He was troubled throughout his playing days by recurring problems with his right knee, but he persisted.

He may not have been the tallest of strikers, but he was an artist on the pitch. Such was his style of play; his technique was flawless and he had the instinctive ability to read the game.

But even he could not win a major international trophy. He played a crucial part in the Italy team that finished third at 1990 World Cup. In 1994, he blew Italy’s World Cup chances when he missed the crucial penalty in the shootout at the end of the World Cup final. But he finished the tournament with the Silver Boot and Silver Shoe. He also won the Ballon d’Or in 1993 and scored twice in the 1998 World Cup

At the club level, too, he did not have a decorated career, winning just two league titles and a UEFA Cup. But he did score 223 goals in 489 appearances at the club level and 26 goals from 57 appearances for Italy. And he was a legend to one and all who watched him play.

#6 Dennis Bergkamp - Netherlands

Dennis Bergkamp, Holland, Ajax and Arsenal — Bergkamp scored one of the greatest World Cup goals against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup

Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp was one of the most technically adept footballers ever. He began his career with Ajax, where he was guided by none other than Johan Cruyff and he helped Ajax won as many as 5 trophies during his 7-year stint with them. He scored 122 goals for Ajax in 237 games before he moved to Arsenal after an unsuccessful stint with Inter Milan.

It was at Arsenal that he showed the best form of his career and was considered by many as one of the best foreign players in the Premier League era. He won three Premier League titles and 4 FA cups with Arsenal, scoring 120 goals in an 11-year career in North London.

Even though he played all the major tournaments for the Netherlands from 1990 to 2000, he was not able to win anything. However, he played in two Euro semi-finals (1992 and 2000) and a World Cup semi-final in 1998.

#5 Luis Figo - Portugal

Luis Figo is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation and one of the greatest Portuguese players of all time. Figo was quick, intelligent and skillful and he was very good at delivering crosses from the wing.

Figo enjoyed a distinguished club career having played for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. He has won La Liga five times, the Champions League once, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup once, Serie A four times and the Coppa Italia once. On a personal level, he has won the Ballon d’Or and he was part of the FIFA World Cup All-Star team of 2006.

The Portuguese man had a glorious international career at the youth level which saw his team winning the 1989 U-17 European Championships, the 1991 FIFA U20 World Cup and finishing runners-up at 1994 U-21 European Championships.

However, he could not achieve the same success at the senior level. But he still led them to a fourth-placed finish in the 2006 World Cup and finished runners-up at Euro 2004.

#4 Paolo Maldini - Italy

Paolo Maldini is one of the greatest defenders ever to have graced the game of football. He defended with elegance and intelligence, did not dive into tackles and relied more on his reading of the game. He was versatile as well, as he could play almost anywhere in defence. Maldini played for AC Milan from 1985 to 2009 and captained them for more than a decade.

His club career with AC Milan is filled with trophies – five UEFA Champions League titles, seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, two Intercontinental Cups and a FIFA Club World Cup – making him one of the most decorated club footballers ever.

For all his qualities, he never managed to win a major trophy international trophy with Italy. He has come close to winning it on a couple of occasions, the first coming in the final of the 1994 World Cup, where Italy were beaten in a penalty shootout by Brazil.

His second chance came in the final of Euro 2000 when France scored in the dying seconds to force extra time before snatching the trophy with a golden goal. He was also part of the Italy team that finished third at the 1990 World Cup and semi-finalists in the 1988 Euros.

#3 Johan Cruyff - Netherlands

Johan Cruyff Holland Ajax Barcelona — Johan Cruyff has won the Ballon d’Or three times.

Johan Cruyff is arguably one of the best players in European football history. He was the personification of Total Football for Ajax and Barcelona in the 1970s and won countless trophies in a highly successful career, spent mostly with Ajax Amsterdam and Barcelona. He also went on to win numerous honours with both the clubs as manager.

Cruyff's club career is lit up with silverware which includes nine Eredivisie titles, three European Cups, six KNVB cups, one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey. On a personal note, he has won three Ballons d’Or and the 1976 World Cup Golden Ball. He is also part of FIFA’s World Team of the 20th Century.

But he did not taste similar success in the international arena despite coming close on more than one occasion. His Oranje side in the 1974 World Cup is widely regarded as the greatest national team never to win a World Cup because they played an exhilarating brand of football. They played very well throughout the World Cup but lost 2-1 to West Germany in the final.

Again in the 1976 Euro Cup they had to settle for a third-place finish. He retired from the national team abruptly before the 1978 World Cup due to personal issues.

#2 Eusebio - Portugal

Eusebio Benfica Portugal — Eusebio scored 733 goals in 745 games

Eusébio is considered the best Portuguese footballer ever. He was born in Mozambique but moved to Portugal during his teens. He made his name with Portuguese giants Benfica where he scored 317 goals from 310 matches.

Eusebio won 11 league titles, five Portuguese Cups and a European Cup with the side. He was also the Portuguese League top scorer for seven seasons and the European Golden Boot winner twice. In 1965, he was awarded the Ballon d'Or.

But his international career was not as successful. He has only played in one World Cup – in 1966. After an impressive run, Portugal crashed out in the semi-finals, losing to eventual champions England. But Eusebio played great football throughout the World Cup, scoring nine goals in the tournament.

That was his last World Cup as the Portugal side could not qualify for the next edition in 1970.

#1 Ferenc Puskas - Hungary / Spain

Ferenc Puskas is one of the greatest goalscorers of all time. He scored 514 goals in 529 league games and 84 goals in 85 internationals for Hungary. Puskas is said to have created the position of the 'deep-lying centre-forward' or 'second striker'. He was the captain of the Magical Magyars of Hungary of the early 1950s.

In 1954, they went into the World Cup final unbeaten for over five years and 32 games. Puskas was out injured after the second game of the tournament, but he returned to the starting lineup for the final despite not being completely fit. And he even gave the team the lead.

However, West Germany came back from 2-0 down to win the match 3-2.

Puskas never represented Hungary again at a World Cup as he emigrated to Spain due to The Hungarian Revolution in 1956.

In Spain, he played for Real Madrid and formed a strike partnership with the legendary Alfredo Di Stéfano that propelled Los Blancos to European and domestic dominance. He won five consecutive league titles and three Champions League titles. He also won the Spanish League Top Scorer (Pichichi) in four of five seasons from 1959 to 1964.

Puskas did play in the 1962 World Cup,representing Spain. But he could not manage to score a single goal as Spain were knocked out in the group stages itself.