There are a slew of terrific players who have never won the Champions League and among them is Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.
The Polish striker experienced defeat in the final of the European competition with Borussia Dortmund when they lost to the Bavarians in 2013.
And since completing the switch to the Allianz Arena in 2014, Lewandowski hasn’t had a chance to taste the thrills of a Champions League final since.
Bayern’s inability to go beyond the semi-finals in Pep Guardiola’s three years at the club is often what leads people to refer to the 46-year-old’s spell as a failure.
It certainly can’t be pinned on Lewandowski, who netted six goals in the competition in 2014–15 and nine the following season.
Lewandowski is 29 now and he must be wondering whether he will ever win the Champions League.
Bayern, under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti, were knocked out at the quarter-final stage last season and will face stiff competition from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain once again.
All this could explain why the Poland striker is determined to leave, according to Guillem Balague.
Lewandowski has only one club on his mind
Writing in AS, Balague claims Lewandowski is eyeing a move to Real Madrid next summer in a move that would further enhance Los Blancos’ reputation as the strongest squad in Europe.
Lewandowski feels that Bayern “have ceased to have the necessary mentality to compete in Europe” and has told his agents to push through a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
But there's a problem
But there’s one potential problem. Real’s board doesn’t sanction the purchases of players aged over 30, meaning the window on Lewandowski’s dream move to Spain will be slammed shut on August 21, 2018.
Balague adds that the reigning European champions have no interest in signing the Pole and are instead keeping tabs on RB Leipzig’s 21-year-old forward Timo Werner.
Real were eager to sign Kylian Mbappe in the summer but were helpless to prevent the French starlet joining Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth £135.5 million.
Lewandowski is among the finest strikers the world has ever seen but with Cristiano Ronaldo making the transition to No.9, it wouldn't be surprising if Real continue to ignore his pleas.