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Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo, and Gianluigi Buffon are legendary names in European football who, despite their immense talent, never managed to lift the Champions League trophy. Yet, for some others, the story is quite the opposite — they’ve got the medal, even if their role in earning it was minimal.

Over the years, several outstanding players have technically ‘won’ the Champions League without making any significant impact on the campaign. Their names are etched into football history, but their contribution to those victories was limited at best.

Here’s a list of eight notable players who possess a Champions League winner’s medal, though their involvement was largely symbolic.

In 2023, Cole Palmer was still seen as a promising young talent at Manchester City, making only brief appearances as part of Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning squad. The academy graduate didn’t play a single minute in any of City’s seven knockout-stage matches that season, serving as an unused substitute throughout. His single start came in a meaningless 3-1 group stage win against Sevilla.

Palmer started in the following season’s UEFA Super Cup win over Sevilla, where he scored and earned the Man of the Match award. Soon after, he moved to Chelsea, where his career truly took off.

Speaking to GQ about his collection of medals from City, Palmer said, “I give them to my mum. I wanted to restock. Clear them out so I can stock up again. The feeling you get when you win… you just want it again. You don’t want to stop and never get that feeling again.”

For Aymeric Laporte, once a key figure in Manchester City’s defence, the 2022-23 season saw him fall out of favour. During City’s treble-winning run, he only featured once in the Champions League knockouts, coming on as a second-half substitute in the comfortable second leg against Bayern Munich, when City already held a four-goal aggregate lead. Laporte later moved to Saudi Arabia before returning to Spain with Athletic Bilbao.

Eden Hazard famously announced his arrival at Chelsea in 2012, joining the European champions. Over his seven years at Stamford Bridge, he established himself among the Premier League’s best, though he rarely reached the Champions League’s latter stages. Chelsea lifted the trophy again in 2021, two years after Hazard’s departure to Real Madrid — where he finally won it a year later, albeit with little involvement. Struggling for form and fitness after his €100 million move, Hazard made just one eight-minute substitute appearance in the knockouts, featuring late in a 1-0 Round of 16 loss to PSG. He didn’t feature in the second-leg comeback or any of the subsequent ties against Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool.

Marcos Alonso, Hakim Ziyech, and Olivier Giroud didn’t feature in Chelsea’s shock 1-0 final win over Manchester City, though they played roles earlier in the campaign. Billy Gilmour, however, made just one appearance — a start under Frank Lampard in a 1-1 dead-rubber group game against Krasnodar. That medal remains the only major honour in the Scottish midfielder’s career so far, though with Antonio Conte now at Napoli, more could be on the horizon.

“Great” might be generous when describing Joshua Zirkzee, especially considering his inconsistent performances for Manchester United since 2024. Still, he earned praise for his breakout season with Bologna, helping Thiago Motta’s side qualify for the Champions League in 2024. Before his Serie A success, Zirkzee came through Bayern Munich’s academy and was part of their 2019-20 treble-winning squad. Then a teenager, he received a medal despite only a four-minute cameo in a group-stage win over Tottenham.

Daniel Sturridge’s inclusion might seem harsh, as he actually had bigger roles in both his Champions League-winning campaigns. With Chelsea in 2011-12, he started 28 Premier League matches and five Champions League games, including both legs of the Round of 16 clash with Napoli. However, after being subbed off during the comeback win, he barely featured again, sitting out both Barcelona ties and the final against Bayern Munich. Later, with Liverpool in 2018-19, Sturridge played seven matches, scoring and assisting against PSG and Red Star Belgrade in the group stages. Yet, in the knockouts, he managed just 10 minutes, was unused in the final, and only appeared in stoppage time of the famous 4-0 comeback win over Barcelona. While he technically contributed more than others here, his role was still minimal.

Theo Hernandez, now regarded as one of football’s best left-backs, has been exceptional for AC Milan and France. A return to Real Madrid wouldn’t be surprising, but his first stint there saw limited opportunities, stuck behind Marcelo in the pecking order. He was an unused substitute throughout all seven of Madrid’s knockout matches in their 2017-18 Champions League triumph.

Ricardo Quaresma, one of football’s most unpredictable wingers, may never have reached the heights once expected of him when he joined European champions Porto in 2004, but he built a colourful career. Twice named Porto’s Player of the Year — and even Portugal’s, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2005 — he won six league titles across Portugal and Turkey and was part of Jose Mourinho’s 2009-10 treble-winning Inter Milan squad. However, just like his stints at Barcelona and Chelsea, Quaresma’s inconsistency proved costly. He made only two substitute appearances totalling 34 minutes in that Champions League campaign, didn’t feature in the knockouts, and was left out of the squad entirely for the semifinals and final.