The Greatest Players Who Haven't Won the Champions League | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

In his autobiography, Diego Maradona described Lothar Matthaus as "The best rival I've ever had."

Such words from arguably the greatest player of all time should tell you all you need to know about the German legend.

In a glittering domestic and international career, Matthaus won seven Bundesliga's, one Serie A and a World Cup. Not bad going.

In Europe however, despite spending 12 seasons playing in two separate stints at Bayern Munich, he was unable to win a single European Cup or Champions League. He managed two UEFA Cups though, which I'm sure will be some consolation to him.

Closest he came

Literally minutes. Remember Manchester United's dramatic last gasp victory at the Nou Camp in 1999? Lothar Matthaus probably does.

John Brewin for ESPN described it fantastically:

"With 86 minutes gone, man-of-the-match Matthäus, the cup surely destined to be in his hands after the horror of Vienna 12 years before, departed the field with typical strutting confidence, shaking the hands of his colleagues as he went. Of course, he was famously denied triumph by Manchester United's Sheringham and Solskjaer and the image most remembered of him that night is of his tearing off of his loser's medal as soon as it was presented to him. European football's premier trophy would forever remain as the one that got away."

In 1987, Lothar Matthaus was denied the European Cup by two late goals from Porto after his Bayern Munich side took a 1-0 lead.