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Over the years, football has been blessed with a number of legends. These big names have attained a status thanks to their endless list of achievements in their respective glorious careers.
However, not every top player is destined to win the medals that his talents actually deserve. Some footballers lose out on trophies thanks to their tough luck, while some stay deprived of trophies because of not joining the appropriate clubs that suit their potential.
As a result, these footballers have never had the privilege of knowing the taste of silverware or decorating their trophy room that stands as a testimony to a player's talents.
On that note, let's have a look at 5 such players who were blessed with world-class abilities, but failed to win the titles they actually deserved:
#5 Stan Collymore
Stan Collymore was downright unplayable in his prime when he was at the height of his powers. He is regarded as one of the greatest forwards ever to grace the Premier League, but his numbers do little to encompass his quality as a striker.
Liverpool was the biggest club he played for. He also had spells at Nottingham Forest, Leicester, Bradford, Aston Villa, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Southend United.
Collymore came closest to winning a title in the1996 FA Cup final when Liverpool faced Manchester United, only to notch a runners-up medal at the end of 90 minutes. He was at Leicester City when they clinched the League Cup in 2000, but was unfortunately cup-tied.
Known as one of the best goalscorers in the history of Liverpool and the Premier League, he won just one personal accolade throughout his career: the Premier League Player of the Month award for January in 1996.
#4 Jermaine Defoe
When you look at his statistics, you would hardly think of Jermaine Defoe making it to this list.
Speaking of his achievements on the personal level, the Englishman is currently the seventh highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League. He is also the third highest goalscorer in the history of Tottenham, the best club he lent his services for in his entire career. He has also played for West Ham United, Portsmouth, Toronto FC and Sunderland.
Having been a professional footballer since 1999, Defoe only has a Community Shield runners-up medal to showcase in his trophy room. He reached agonizingly close to clinching a winners' medal when Tottenham beat Chelsea in 2008 but left the club just a week before the final. He was cup-tied when his new club Portsmouth won the FA Cup.
Currently plying his trade at AFC Bournemouth, Defoe looks far from winning any silverware at the age of 36, as he inches closer towards retirement.
#3 Len Shackleton
During his playing days, Len Shackleton was nicknamed as the 'Clown Prince of Soccer'. He was one of the best footballers in the English top-tier in the 1940s and played for Bradford Park Avenue, Newcastle United and Sunderland.
Functioning as an inside or an outside forward, he scored 134 goals in 427 appearances in the league and the knockout cup combined, in a span of 11 seasons. He also scored 171 goals in 209 games in wartime football.
The closest he came to winning silverware was in season 1949/50 when Sunderland finished second by just a point in the First Division. He also reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1955 and 1956 but failed to reach the finals on both the occasions.
A player who excelled equally well at Cricket as well as at Football, Len Shackleton had absolutely no achievements to showcase, barring the statistics of goals he scored for his clubs.
#2 Bernd Schneider
Bernd Schneider earned the nicknames Schnix and The White Brazilian, given his passing and dribbling abilities and to provide accurate balls during corners and set-pieces. He was one of the most influential players for both club and country during his prime.
He also played for Eintracht Frankfurt, Carl Zeiss Jena and Bayer 04 Leverkusen II in his career.
Schneider had to endure triple heartbreak after he joined Bayer Leverkusen in 1999. He finished as a runner-up twice in his first three seasons at the club. He was also a part of the side that lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid in 2002.
He also holds a third-place medal for Germany in the World Cup 2006. He won 2 runner-up medals losing the DfB Pokal final twice in his career.
For a player nicknamed 'The White Brazilian', that's hardly a collection, is it?
#1 Matt Le Tissier
Matt Le Tissier is one of the most celebrated legends to have graced the English Premier League. He is also one of the most respected figures in the league's history, thanks to the loyalty he showed to Southampton by playing for the club from 1986 to 2002.
As a player, Le Tissier had a plethora of talents: he had superb vision, technique and was brilliant at scoring goals. However, he could have won all the titles and honours he so richly deserved, had he left Southampton for the top clubs who were vouching for signature during his playing days.
As a footballer, he finished runner-up in the Full Members' Cup in 1992 - the only time he reached closest to winning a trophy. For someone who is a part of the English Football Hall of Fame, that is hardly a stat to showcase.
