Highlights

• Harry Kane's move to Bayern Munich signifies the end of his quest for the Premier League title and Alan Shearer's goal record.
• Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, and Sami Hyypia are among the talented players who fell short of winning the Premier League in their careers.
• Despite not winning the Premier League, these players have still left a lasting impact and achieved success in other competitions.

Harry Kane abandoned his dreams of lifting the Premier League title and snatching Alan Shearer’s longstanding goal record when he agreed to join Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich in the name of persistent title challenges - a reason few could have any grievance with. England’s record goalscorer isn’t the only footballing icon not to have lifted the prestigious first division trophy, with several exceptional talents missing out on that key piece of silverware. While some may see the absence of a Premier League title as a stain on these players' legacies, others may view it as merely a blip in otherwise stellar careers. Although the jury may still be out when it comes to a congruous resolution over whether the lack of a league title has the power to define one’s professional standing, it’s irrefutable that some unbelievable players have missed out on one of the game’s biggest prizes, so let’s take a look at the best XI to have played in the top-flight, but to never have won the ultimate prize in English football…

All statistics included are according to Transfermarkt unless stated otherwise.

GK: Pepe Reina

Reina was one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League throughout his nine-year stint at Liverpool, and immediately endeared himself to his new following when he saved three penalties in the 2006 FA Cup Final against West Ham, seemingly starting as he meant to go on.

The Spanish shot-stopper would subsequently make 285 appearances in England's top tier for the Reds and would win the Golden Glove on three occasions, as well as the FA Cup, League Cup, Super Cup, as well as a Champions League runners-up medal in 2007. Unfortunately, the Premier League was never a trophy cradled by the safe hands of Pepe.

CB: Marcel Desailly (Chelsea)

Desailly is one of, if not the greatest, defender of his generation. The Frenchman played for some of the world’s most historic clubs, and few honours eluded him and his career. Clinching the big-eared European crown, the Champions League with both Marseille and AC Milan, as well as the Serie A, Supercoppa Italiana, and FA Cup. Despite his success domestically, it was his triumphs internationally that have Desailly viewed as godlike status among defenders. The 6’ centre half was a major part of the France sides that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, although he was memorably sent off in the former.

Joining Chelsea at the age of 29, pre the Abramovich injection of cash, the ex-AC Milan star would spend six years at the Bridge, though he was unable to win the Premier League during his stint. Typically, Desailly would leave Chelsea in 2004, a year before Mourinho’s men lifted the title.

CB: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)

Carragher can now be found partnering up with Gary Neville on Sky’s football coverage, offering his insight into the latest proceedings in the sport, and providing detailed analysis on Premier League games.

Every once in a while, his former foe, Neville, will slyly drop the fact his counterpart has never won the Premier League into conversation, much to the amusement of viewers who have come to enjoy the bikinis between the two. The born and bred scouser was a fierce competitor who was a mainstay at Liverpool for 17 years. He made 508 Premier League appearances, the ninth most in the competition's history, but unfortunately for the defender, the closest he came to getting his hands on the title was a second place finish during the 2008-09 campaign before retiring in 2013, a season before Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool would come within a whisker of England's most prestigious crown.

CB: Sami Hyypia (Liverpool)

Big Finnish centre-half, Sami Hyypia played alongside Carragher at Liverpool for a decade. The 6’4 Scandinavian was somewhat of a cult-hero at Anfield, and his defensive prowess made him one of the leading centre-halves in the top flight. Despite his 10-year-long stay in the North West of England and an impressive accumulation of 10 trophies with the club, Hyypia would, sadly, never win the Premier League.

Read More:

20 best Premier League defenders of all time

CM: Xabi Alonso

Another ex-Liverpool player? There is a common theme running through this XI, such was some of the talent in the Reds’ side during a 30-year dormant spell, where the title eluded them. Xabi Alonso was one player who sported the famous Red and ran out at Anfield over a five-year stint with the club. The deep-lying playmaker is credited with having one of the best passes the division has ever seen, with the Spaniard’s vision and passing variation almost unmatched. Winning both the FA Cup and Champions League with the Merseysiders, the Premier League was one trophy that has never been on his extensive Wikipedia honours list.

CM: Luka Modric

The Ballon d’Or, five-time Champions League-winning Croat, is still at the top of his game at the age of 37. The silky midfielder's longevity is testament to both his physical resilience and winners mentality, and the fact he is still playing for one of the best clubs in the world emphatically demonstrates just how well he’s aged. Modric will go down as one of the very best midfielders of all time, and will rightly be uttered in the same breath as the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Zidane, and Figo. Spending four years in North London with Tottenham, Modric only ever won the 2008 League Cup during his spell, and a bite at the Premier League was never a remotely close possibility for the man who was sold on to Real Madrid in 2012, where he'd go onto win every accolade available to him.

CM: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Steven Gerrard is to scousers of a red persuasion to what Scholes and Lampard are to Manchester United and Chelsea respectively. The club icon frequently dragged his teammates to historic victories and unforgettable triumphs. Liverpool’s number eight led by example, and is, by definition, great and one of the best Liverpool players of all time.

The closest Gerrard came to winning the Premier League came in the 2013/14 season, where his famous last words were “we don’t let this slip”, an event that the player-turned-manager has since admitted still haunts him. Liverpool missed out by two points after faltering in the final few games against Chelsea and Crystal Palace, with the iconic Stevie G calling time on his playing days with the Merseyside club a year later.

RM: Paul Gascoigne

While not a right midfielder by trade, Gazza had the dexterity to play anywhere in the final third. The ex-England star boy was a generational talent and a maverick in every sense of the word. Having played for Newcastle, Spurs, Middlesbrough, and Everton in the Premier League, the charismatic, albeit troubled playmaker never did get a taste of being a Premier League champion.

LM: Gareth Bale

Although Eden Hazard runs a close second, there has never been a left-winger before or after Gareth Bale that has possessed such truly game-changing ability. The Welsh wizard was a frightening specimen. His raw, blistering speed was a nightmare for any opposing defender, and his penchant for shooting from range was just another string he had to his bow. While Bale has since gone on to win every club honour available to him with Real Madrid, his formative years in the Prem told a different story entirely.

ST: Luis Suárez

Luis Suárez announced himself to the world while playing for Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers’ Reds, having signed in one of the wildest deadline day sagas ever. There are very few strikers who really have it all, but the toothy Uruguayan really did. The player’s versatility was like no other, having the ability to both score and create with equal consistency and effectiveness. A deft touch, a killer pass, close ball control that, at times, was akin to a Messi or Maradona, and a real capacity to find the net wherever he was on the pitch. When his arc of villainy threatened to precede him, Suarez would come up with a piece of magic that would equally stun as it would antagonise.

Suarez enjoyed one of the greatest campaigns in Premier League history as he scored 31 times in 33 games in the 2013/14 season for Liverpool. It wasn't enough, though, as they narrowly missed out to Man City by two points, although it didn’t take long for Suarez to establish himself once again, at Barcelona where he won every collective accolade available.

ST: Harry Kane

Subject to much in the way of ridicule over the years as a player that was viewed as the personification of Tottenham’s trophy-less run, Kane’s goalscoring contributions have continually warranted more in the way of silverware, a significant reason the striker opted for a move away from North London. Kane’s move to Bayern Munich has all but signalled the end of his hunt for that elusive Premier League goalscoring record, as he looked set to eclipse Alan Shearer’s 260-goal return.

Kane scored 213 Premier League goals during his time with Tottenham, the second most of any player in Premier League history. Now 30, it seems the forward will never get the chance of winning the Premier League, having signed a four-year deal with German giants Bayern Munich.