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The UEFA Champions League is the most coveted and prestigious trophy which can be won in Europe. Clubs from all over the continent take part in this highly competitive tournament. The best teams in Europe play against each other and in simple language it is, 'Best vs Best'.
Real Madrid has been the most successful team in the Champions League's history with 13 titles to its name. They are the defending champions and have won it in four of their last five attempts. They have also finished as runners-up on three occasions.
AC Milan is the second most successful team having, won it on seven occasions. Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona have won it five times each.
The tournament is much more entertaining than the league in quite a few ways. The Champions League has matches where teams like Manchester United and Barcelona or Bayern Munich and Real Madrid can play against each other. These sort of fixtures are even more fun when players are up against their former teams.
We can't see the aforementioned teams playing against each other twice or thrice every season in a league. So, the interest generated while seeing such heavyweights go up against each other is more.
Enough of this as we shall now have a look at four teams which could have won the Champions League had they not sold their former stars and match winners to other teams.
Note: Only teams which haven't won in this century (2000 onward) have been taken into consideration
#4 Roma
Notable players who played for them: Mo Salah, Miralem Pjanic, Alisson, Marquinhos, Radja Nainggolan and Lucas Digne
Roma has always been considered as one of the best teams in Serie A. They have been a constant threat for the opposition in Serie A and they have also proved their mettle in the European competitions.
In the last term, they qualified for the semi-final of the Champions League. It was a dream run as, they even defeated Barcelona. This was after being 3-1 down after the first leg. They played against eventual runners-up, Liverpool and lost 7-6 on aggregate.
They could have won that match and perhaps the tournament if, they had kept hold of Salah, who scored twice in the first leg. If they had him along with players like Pjanic and Marquinhos, they might have been able to lift the trophy.
They also sold Alisson and Nainggolan this summer, and that has further depleted their team. If they kept them in their squad, they would have been world beaters in their own right.
#3 Borussia Dortmund
Notable players who have played for them: Robert Lewandowski, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembele, Ivan Perisic, Ciro Immobile, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ilkay Gundogan
Borussia Dortmund has established itself as a German powerhouse and has been home to some of the best players in the world.
World class strikers like Robert Lewandowski, Aubameyang and Immobile have been a part of Dortmund. Borussia Dortmund reached the final of the Champions League in 2013 but lost to Bayern Munich.
They have played the quarter-final and semi-final of the tournament on quite a few occasions but they haven't been able to qualify for the next round. Had they kept two or three strikers from the aforementioned list, they could have easily won the competition.
With a manager like Jurgen Klopp, Borussia Dortmund could have tasted a lot of success if, they didn't sell these players.
#2 Monaco
Notable players who have played for them: Kylian Mbappe, James Rodriguez, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Anthony Martial, Fabinho and Yannick Carrasco
There were quite a few other players who I wanted to include in the list but I then realized that the number of players mentioned in the list would be more than the actual content.
Monaco is one of the best teams in France and has been very good in the European competitions.
They ended the 2016/17 Champions League as semi-finalists and could have easily won it. They lost to Juventus in the semis and could have won it with the services of players like James Rodriguez, Anthony Martial, and Yannick Carrasco.
Monaco would have been one of the best teams in the world if they had a few of these players in their current squad.
All the Monaco fans would be missing these players and one can only imagine the heights they could have achieved with the help of these players.
#1 Atletico Madrid
Notable players who have played for them: Sergio Aguero, Yannick Carrasco, Radamel Falcao, Toby Alderweireld, David De Gea, Mario Mandzukic and Miranda
Atletico Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world and has won the Europa League on several occasions. They have finished as runners-up in the Champions League twice.
They lost to Real Madrid on both the occasions. In the 2015/16 edition, they lost out in a penalty shootout whereas, in the 2013/14 edition, they lost 4-1.
It is evident from both the cases that better strikers would have been very helpful. In such cases, they would have been dearly missing strikers like Aguero, Falcao, and Mandzukic.
If they had a world class goalie like De Gea and top notch defenders like Alderweireld and Miranda in such situations, they might not have conceded any goals.
It is fair to say that, Atletico Madrid could have won at least one of the two Champions League finals that they played in.
