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Over the years, the Premier League has been graced by some of the world's best players at any given point. From well-renowned superstars to the game's undisputed icons, the league has boasted of World Cup winners, Ballon d'Or awardees, and several other highly distinguished names.
Many have gone on to forge their legacies as some of the greatest to have plied their trade in England, including the likes of Ryan Giggs, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry and other high-profile names. While the vast majority of players considered 'legends' of the land are, in most cases, multi-time Premier League winners, there are some outliers.
There are players whose abilities and overall contribution to their sides were/are just so good that it's often difficult to overlook them despite not winning a title. They have rightfully earned their place alongside more accomplished names due to their outstanding achievements on the pitch.
On that note, here, we take a look at some of the best players in Premier League history who never managed to win the league. The list only includes players who played after the 1992 rebranding of the top-flight and needed to have spent a minimum of three full campaigns in the Premier League to be considered.
#5 Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur FC
Gareth Bale, the first of only two active Premier League players on this list, is one of the most explosive widemen the Premier League has seen in recent memory. The Welshman spent six years in North London, during which he went from being a promising left-back to one of the most coveted attackers in the world at the time.
His goalscoring exploits — including a career-best 21-goal campaign in 2012/13 — earned him a world-record move to Real Madrid. Bale went on to lift four UEFA Champions Leagues and two LaLiga Santander titles with Los Blancos before returning to Tottenham Hotspur on a one-year loan spell in search of game time.
Despite having a host of team and individual honours to show for in his career, Bale unfortunately never came close to winning a Premier League title with Spurs. The two-time PFA Player of the Year winner could potentially change that if he opts for a permanent return to North London after the expiry of his ongoing loan spell.
#4 Luis Suarez | Liverpool FC
Luis Suarez has spent the least amount of time in the Premier League among all the names on this list, but this cannot and should not discredit his surreal contribution to Liverpool in this period. The Uruguayan, who initially arrived at Anfield as a replacement for Andy Carroll, went on to become one of the best forwards to ever grace the land.
Suarez's 2013/14 campaign is still regarded by many as one of the greatest individual seasons in Premier League history. He registered a record-equalling 31 goals and 12 assists to go with it in 33 games. Suarez was awarded the PFA Player of the Year for that season, which also included three hat-tricks and a record ten goals in a month (December).
Overall, 'El Pistolero' scored a total of 69 goals and set up a further 23 in 110 appearances for Liverpool. Suarez would not have been on this list if things had panned out differently in the 2013/14 season as Liverpool's scoring machine nearly fired them to Premier League glory, ultimately losing out to Manchester City. The striker eventually moved to Barcelona in a £75m deal and won the treble in 2015.
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#3 Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur FC
The only other active Premier League player on this list apart from Bale, Harry Kane is a sensational forward and arguably the most well-rounded striker in the world. The Englishman is a serial goalscorer who has steadily risen higher up on the list of all-time top scorers in the Premier League. Kane currently sits in ninth place on the list with 160 strikes and a further 33 assists.
This season, in particular, Kane has taken his overall game up a few gears and has added another dimension to Tottenham. The English captain has dropped deeper than he usually does and has acted as an auxiliary playmaker higher up the pitch, resulting in Kane topping the charts for both goals (17) and assists (13) in the Premier League. He's established himself as one of the best players in the world on sheer ability, and has continued to evolve over the course of his career.
Kane is into his eighth senior campaign with Spurs and is yet to win a single trophy with the North London club, let alone the Premier League. The 27-year-old will hope to win the title before the end of his career and cement his place alongside other Premier League greats such as Shearer, Wayne Rooney, and Sergio Aguero, whose scoring records Kane could potentially break.
#2 Gianfranco Zola | Chelsea FC
Roman Abramovic's era at Stamford Bridge has seen some of the finest players in the Blues' history, including the likes of Frank Lampard, John Terry, Eden Hazard and several others. Before these star names elevated Chelsea's status as a European powerhouse, there was Gianfranco Zola, a man whose scintillating displays on the pitch laid the groundwork for the Blues' early 2000s renaissance.
The Italian arrived in West London at the age of 30 and went on to establish himself as one of the most influential players in the Premier League, and, unfortunately, one of the best players to never win the league. Zola won six trophies at Chelsea and treated both the Blues' and English football faithful to moments of magic and brilliance.
The biggest compliment to Zola and what he meant to Chelsea is, perhaps, the fact that Abramovic offered the then-37-year-old a massive £3m to stay for another campaign, but was turned down as he had already given his word to Cagliari.
The Russian oligarch then famously phoned Cagliari and asked them how much their club would cost him.
"I must say, I was really, really surprised at that [Abramovic calling Cagliari]. I took it as a compliment. But I had made my choice."
Zola scored 59 goals and set up a further 42 across 229 Premier League appearances for Chelsea. To date, he remains one of Chelsea's most iconic players and the fact that he arrived before the Abramovic revolution makes it an all the more impressive feat.
#1 Steven Gerrard | Liverpool FC
One of the Premier League's biggest mysteries to date is how a player as astoundingly talented as Steven Gerrard never won the title. The Englishman spent 17 campaigns at his boyhood club and is remembered as one of football's most adored one-club men. He chose to stay at Anfield for his entire European career despite well-documented offers from the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan, and others.
Gerrard was one of the most unique footballers to have graced the Premier League as he could do practically anything he wanted. The Englishman could bomb forward, defend, unlock defences with gorgeous passes from anywhere on the pitch and score some of the most mind-bending goals one could possibly imagine.
He was as complete a player as a manager could ask for and managed to thrive at a high level for over a decade. Gerrard scored 120 goals and assisted 92 across 504 (!) Premier League appearances.
Most of all, his incredible leadership and ability to rise up to the occasion separated him from his peers. Gerrard remains the ONLY player to have scored in an FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League and UEFA Cup final. It was the Merseyside hero who sparked their infamous comeback against AC Milan in 2005.
Unfortunately, the Premier League trophy was one that painfully evaded him throughout his career. Gerrard is still regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time — such is the prowess and ability of the Liverpool man. The Reds ended three campaigns as runner-ups, and Gerrard was present for all three campaigns (2002, 2009 and 2014). He might be the Premier League's nearly man, but undoubtedly remains a legend of the game.
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