After 19 years and 435 career goals, Harry Kane has finally lifted a trophy.
The England captain secured his first major honor with Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga in 2025 after nearly a decade at Tottenham without silverware. Despite being Spurs’ all-time leading scorer and England’s record goal-getter, his career was defined more by runner-up medals than triumphs—until now.
Kane’s story has a satisfying new chapter. But for many legends, the ending never changed. Here are some of the greatest names in football who spent most—or all—of their careers chasing titles that never came.
Son Heung-min
Few modern players have been more consistent or beloved than Son Heung-min. Since arriving at Tottenham in 2015, he’s dazzled with speed, skill, and world-class finishing. He even won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2022. But not a single major trophy sits in his cabinet.
Spurs’ loss to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final and a League Cup final defeat to Manchester City in 2021 are his biggest near-misses. Despite his efforts with South Korea, including a dramatic goal in the 2015 Asian Cup final, Son remains without a senior-level title.
Marco Reus
Marco Reus is Borussia Dortmund’s beating heart. The gifted playmaker has stuck with the club through injuries and rebuilds. He’s won two German Cups—but not a single Bundesliga title in over a decade.
His closest shot came in 2023 when Dortmund missed out on the league in the final match. Reus also lost the 2013 Champions League final at Wembley to Bayern Munich. He missed Germany’s 2014 World Cup win through injury. Few players have given more to one club with so little to show.
Francesco Totti
Totti gave his entire career to AS Roma, becoming a symbol of loyalty and elegance. He scored 250 Serie A goals and led Roma to a single Scudetto in 2001. That was it.
Despite being one of Italy’s most gifted players, Totti collected just one league title and two Coppa Italia wins. Internationally, he tasted World Cup glory in 2006 but was a runner-up at Euro 2000. For a 25-year career, the count feels light. But his legacy in Rome is eternal.
Daniele De Rossi
Another Roma icon, De Rossi won the World Cup in 2006. But at club level, he suffered the same fate as Totti. Eight runner-up finishes in Serie A. Two Coppa Italia wins. No league title.
He turned down bigger clubs, staying loyal to Roma for 18 years. That decision gave him love and heartbreak in equal measure.
Gabriel Batistuta
At Fiorentina, Batistuta was an unstoppable force. His loyalty to the club was legendary, even when they were relegated. For years, he was Serie A’s most feared striker—with nothing to show.
He finally won the Scudetto with Roma in 2001, in the twilight of his career. His only other major titles came early with Argentina in the 1991 and 1993 Copa América. No Champions League. No World Cup. But always goals.
Alan Shearer
The Premier League’s all-time top scorer has just one trophy: the 1994–95 league title with Blackburn Rovers.
After that, Shearer turned down Manchester United and went home to Newcastle. He became a local hero but never lifted another cup. Two FA Cup final losses are all that remain of a decade-long quest. Still, 260 Premier League goals speak louder than medals.
Sócrates
Brazil’s philosopher-king of football, Sócrates never won a World Cup, Copa Libertadores, or national league title.
He led Brazil’s mesmerizing 1982 squad that fell to Italy. He missed a penalty in the 1986 quarterfinal shootout against France. At Corinthians, he helped lead a political revolution—but not a championship. He remains one of the game’s most admired figures, trophy or not.
Matt Le Tissier
Le Tissier never played for a big club. He stayed at Southampton, scored stunners for fun, and earned cult-hero status.
He never won a major trophy. Not one. But he’s remembered for his loyalty and a highlight reel that players with dozens of titles can only envy.
Antonio Di Natale
A master finisher and two-time Serie A top scorer, Di Natale spent most of his career at Udinese, scoring over 200 goals.
He turned down Juventus. He never won a trophy. His closest brush was Italy’s loss to Spain in the Euro 2012 final. But his choice to stay loyal gave him a legacy that can’t be measured by medals.
