Steven Gerrard and the 20 Best Players Yet to Win a League Title
It was a case of being so close and yet so far for Steven Gerrard this season, as his beloved Liverpool side ultimately fell short in their unlikely quest to win the Premier League.
After coming so close only to be left disappointed, Gerrard must now be wondering if he'll ever get to win a league title in his career as he turns 34 at the end of this month.
Gerrard isn't alone though; there are plenty of fine players out there who have yet to experience a league title win.
Sticking to those who still have a chance to put that right, here are 20 of them.
Gareth Bale
1 of 20
Gareth Bale may have picked up a world record transfer fee and the Copa del Rey in his first season at Real Madrid, but the success of city rivals Atletico ensures that he is still without a league title to his name.
The Welshman will have plenty of time to put that right of course, and it's going to be fun watching him try.
Marco Reus
2 of 20
German flyer Marco Reus missed out on Borussia Dortmund's back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, having left the club as a youngster before he returned for the 2012/13 season.
That campaign ended in Champions League heartbreak for Jurgen Klopp's men, and with Bayern Munich dominating in Germany again, Reus may have to leave Dortmund to earn a league title.
Juan Mata
3 of 20
Juan Mata won the Copa del Rey with Valencia and then the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League with Chelsea upon his move to England.
Manchester United are going to have to improve immeasurably for him to get his hands on the Premier League title soon.
Oscar
4 of 20
Brazilian star Oscar won two Rio state championships during his time with Internacional, but until now the Europa League is the only trophy he's won with current club Chelsea.
Success at the World Cup this summer is likely to make him forget all that.
Daniele De Rossi
5 of 20
Perhaps the player who can most closely identify with Gerrard is Roma's Daniele De Rossi, who has just completed his 13th season in the Roma first team without a league winners' medal to show for it.
The Italian star will be 31 in July, and has been a Serie A runner-up a staggering six times.
Aaron Ramsey
6 of 20
Arsenal's FA Cup winner secured his first ever senior trophy with the extra-time strike that saw off Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.
Will a league title eventually follow for him? Given the rapid rate of improvement shown by the Welshman over the past year, you wouldn't rule anything out.
Giuseppe Rossi
7 of 20
Always too far on the fringes of things at Manchester United to play any sort of role in their successes, Italian forward Giuseppe Rossi has since moved on to Villarreal and Fiorentina without capturing any trophies at all.
Having returned from a long-term injury earlier this month, maybe he'll be the difference in his club's fortunes moving forward.
Kevin Strootman
9 of 20
Dutch international Kevin Strootman had a fantastic first season at Roma, only for injury to cut it short in March and force him to miss the World Cup.
In the talented midfielder's career both in his native Holland and Italy, he's never won a major trophy.
Hugo Lloris
10 of 20
Hugo Lloris arrived at Lyon from Nice in 2008, just after Lyon had won seven successive Ligue 1 championships in France. They haven't won one since.
Of course, the goalkeeper has proven his quality at both Lyon and now Tottenham in that time, but he'd be forgiven for wondering if he's cursed.
Santi Cazorla
11 of 20
The scorer of the fine free-kick that got Arsenal back into the FA Cup final on Saturday, Spanish international Santi Cazorla certainly has the quality to win many trophies during his career.
The FA Cup success was his first at club level since the Intertoto Cup 10 years ago though, but he's got two European Championship winners' medals to at least keep him happy.
Adam Lallana
12 of 20
Southampton's Adam Lallana might be seen as a rising star in the English game, but he did his footballing apprenticeship in the lower leagues with the Saints.
Despite earning back-to-back promotions with the club, both came as runners-up, meaning he's never won a league title in his career to date.
Laurent Koscielny
13 of 20
Another of the Arsenal goalscorers from Saturday, that FA Cup final success was a first ever in senior football for Laurent Koscielny.
The French defender is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the most reliable centre-backs in the Premier League, and he seems to be getting better and better.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
14 of 20
Things never quite panned out for the 24-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at AC Milan, but since switching to Saint-Etienne and then Borussia Dortmund he's managed to show what he can do.
The Gabonese forward is still without a league title to his name, though he won the French League Cup in his final season at Saint-Etienne.
Miralem Pjanic
15 of 20
Still just 24, Miralem Pjanic has time on his side as he attempts to earn league glory with Roma, but he'll want to end a worrying trend of constantly being a runner-up.
Pjanic was part of the Lyon side that came second in France in 2010, and he's been a runner-up in both the Italian Cup and Serie A in his two years at Roma.
Mehdi Benatia
16 of 20
Pjanic's teammate Mehdi Benatia is another who has yet to experience league glory, despite his admirable efforts for Roma this season.
The Moroccan moved from Udinese last year, and has gone on to be recognised as one of the finest central defenders in Serie A, with the Champions League awaiting next season.
Pepe Reina
17 of 20
A teammate of Gerrard's for eight years at Liverpool, goalkeeper Pepe Reina was joining the European champions when he left Villarreal for Anfield in the summer of 2005.
The English championship never arrived though, and following his loan spell at Napoli this season, the 31-year-old remains without a league title to his name.
Per Mertesacker
18 of 20
The closest that Per Mertesacker came to league glory was when his Werder Bremen side came runners-up in the Bundesliga in the 2007/08 campaign.
The big German defender picked up his first trophy with Arsenal on Saturday, and he'll be hoping it is the first of many.
Isco
19 of 20
The talented Isco is still just 22 years old, so his time to win a title will undoubtedly come.
Formerly of Valencia and Malaga and now at Real Madrid, the Spanish attacking midfielder's quality only goes to emphasise the strength in depth available to both his club and country.
Steven Gerrard
20 of 20
We'll finish how we started, with a man who must be desperate to get his hands on a league trophy with his boyhood club.
Gerrard was part of the Liverpool teams that came second in the Premier League in both the 2001/02 and 2008/09 seasons, but there was a real belief that this year they were going to end their 24-year wait for the title that the club's fans crave.
It wasn't to be, but the Reds will be even more determined to succeed next year.
