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Winning the Premier League is the biggest achievement available in English football. It is essentially the domination of English football. Manchester City today are the strongest club in England. They've won the Premier League three times in the past half-decade, picking up back-to-back titles, and most recently picking up the trophy last season too.
In the nearly three decades since its inception, the Premier League has produced only seven champions, with Manchester United winning a record 13 times. However, these seven clubs who have won the coveted trophy have had players who never received a winner's medal.
While the rules have changed, the only medal-eligible players in a title-winning team were those who had made at least 10 Premier League appearances. In 2012, the rules were lightened, and the minimum number of appearances a person had to make became five.
Commemorative medals were also another rule tweak. Today, the Premier League gives 40 such medals to the winning club, who can then give said medals to staff or players of their preference.
Because of this, it has become easier for players to receive a medal even though they did not reach the minimum number of appearances required.
It was certainly tough on many such players who might have failed the 10-appearance requirement, helped the team through injury crises and did not receive a medal for their efforts. Let's take a look at five such players who didn't receive a medal in a league-winning season with their club.
5. Wes Brown (Manchester United)
The former centre-back has won five Premier League titles, even helping the Red Devils pick up three back-to-back titles in an era of great dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson.
However, before his move to Sunderland in 2011, Wes Brown missed out on two Premier League title-winning medals. Due to injury, he missed out on the majority of the 2008-09 season, picking up only eight appearances. Two years later, Brown was struggling with injury again and had to watch many of the games from the sidelines. With only seven appearances under his belt that season, he was ineligible for a medal as Manchester United powered on to Premier League glory.
4. Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United)
Like former teammate Wes Brown, Hargreaves had great success with Manchester United, even picking up a medal after the Red Devils won the Premier League in the 2007-08 season.
Injury problems, however, ensured poor performances and hardly any playing time for the defensive midfielder when United won again in 2009 and 2011. Hargreaves managed a shocking four games across three seasons, effectively making him ineligible for a medal.
Hargreaves' difficult career followed him down the road to the Etihad Stadium in 2011. When Manchester City won the league, he was yet again ineligible for a medal after playing only one game for the club.
3. Micah Richards (Manchester City)
Buoyed by their new owners and impressive signings for the first team, Man City powered on to win their first Premier League title in the 2011-12 season. Micah Richards was a key member of that squad, picking up 29 league appearances for the club.
The next few seasons, however, could prove to be rough for the former England international. Making only two league appearances due to poor form, injury, and losing his place in the starting lineup, Richards didn't receive a medal in the 2013-14 season.
2. Mohamed Salah (Chelsea)
Chelsea fans will continue to rue the Egyptian international's departure permanently for AS Roma in 2016. Salah's performances since then have been outstanding. and his success at Liverpool has exceeded expectations.
However, while Mohamed Salah was still playing for the Blues, he played only 3 Premier League games before making the switch to Fiorentina on loan. Chelsea won the league that season and Salah was ineligible for a medal. Most notably, Juan Cuadrado - who had gone to Chelsea as Salah's replacement - picked up 10 appearances, ensuring his own medal at the end of the 2014-15 season.
The Egyptian forward has picked up a fair share of accolades, including a title-winning medal when Liverpool rose to Premier League glory in record-breaking style.
1. Federico Macheda (Manchester United)
Yet another Red Devil on the list, Macheda's ineligibility for a winner's medal after Manchester United's title win in 2008-09 is perhaps the most painful for the fans. The current Panathinaikos striker is arguably the only player who directly aided his team in a title-run without receiving a medal for his actions.
In 2008-09, Macheda made four league appearances for United and scored two goals. However, those two goals - especially an injury-time winner against Aston Villa near the end of the season - came in handy for the club as they eventually won the league with four points.
Once again, in the 2010-11 season, Macheda missed out on yet another winner's medal, managing only three league appearances that season.
