5 club legends who never won/may never win a trophy with their country

#3 Paolo Maldini (Italy)

A god amongst defenders, Maldini's Italy career never got the glory it deserved

If 10 people across the world were asked to name the greatest left-back of all time, about 90% will name Maldini. The classically handsome son of another great footballer/good coach; Cesare Maldini, he added an elegance to the fullback role that didn't exist before him.

A true great in every sense of the word, Maldini spent his entire career at Italian giants AC Milan. With the Rossoneri, he won everything there was to win. 8 Scudetti and 5 UCL titles do not tell the complete story of the amazing trophy haul he earned while at the San Siro.

His strength, pace, tenacity, intelligence and sense of timing made him a winger's nightmare. Many a terrific right winger became frightened mouses when they had to come up against this majestic player.

Few players will ever be able to match the longevity and effort Maldini gave for the Azzurri of Italy. However, it was an effort that never yielded the desired result. He appeared 126 times for the Italian national side and in every World Cup from 1990-2002.

However, like Cruyff and Figo, finals heartache was to be his portion. In the 1994 (USA) World Cup final, a missed Roberto Baggio penalty saw Brazil win its 4th world title.

Bigger heartache followed. In the 2000 European Championship final, Italy was minutes away from winning until a late Sylvain Wiltord goal gave France an equalizer and sent the game into extra-time. David Trezeguet's Golden Goal meant more finals misery for Maldini.

To add insult to injury, the 2006 World Cup won by the Azzurri was the first one that he missed following his retirement in 2002.