A number of serial
top scorers seem to have had tough luck in winning a trophy despite being known
as prolific goal scorers.
Being a
serial top scorer in various competitions, including the major ones, does not
necessarily guarantee silverware. They may have an eye for goals, but lifting
trophies can be an entirely different story from scoring.
The failure
of Bayern Munich to progress to the Champions League semifinal last week seems
to justify another misfortune of Harry Kane, the current serial top scorer at
the top level. Despite having been awarded top scorer accolades multiple times
in almost all major competitions both at the club and international levels, the
England skipper still lacks a trophy in his career.
The former
Spurs star has won EPL top scorers three times, followed by Bundesliga and UCL
top scorer, plus the Golden Boot award in the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro championship.
He was even awarded the European Golden Shoe last season.
However,
Lady luck seems to be never on his side. In Spurs, their best finish in the
EPL was runner-up in the 2016/17 campaign plus UCL runner-up in 2019. Kane’s
bad luck appears to follow him around in Munich, as Die Roten went trophyless
last season, their first stain since 2009.
Kane’s hope
to end his misfortune is still open wide in the Bundesliga, as Bayern is still
leading the table with eight points ahead of the reigning champions, Xabi
Alonso’s Leverkusen. Let us hope they do not slip in the final four games since
Die Werkself could still turn things around. Otherwise, Kane’s seeming curse
can be considered real. What a shame for such a high-calibre striker.
Unsurprisingly,
he is not the only one. Throughout the history of European major leagues, there
have been serial top scorers who eventually ended their playing careers without
a single trophy in hand. Let’s just hope Kane is not falling into the same hole
as these unfortunate forwards. Surprisingly, most of them are Italian.
Theofanis
Gekas (Greece)
The former Greek international
was probably an unexpected name on the list. He was not known as a prolific
goalscorer but did manage to win the top scorer award three times, each in a
different competition.
The most surprising accolade was
when he became Bundesliga top scorer in the 2006/07 campaign while playing for
VfL Bochum on loan. Gekas did not only save the newly promoted side from
relegation but also finished in eighth place with his 20 goals and four assists
in his season debut abroad. Such top form drew interest from Bayer Leverkusen,
where he played for two years but failed to cement himself in the first team.
He was eventually on loan to Portsmouth before returning to Germany and joined
Hertha Berlin plus Eintracht Frankfurt till 2012. Unfortunately, his six-year
stint on German soil was criticised due to his lack of effort to learn German.
Gekas then continued their career
mainly in Turkey, with brief spells in Spain and Switzerland, as he played for
Levante and FC Sion, respectively. Unfortunately, the former striker did not
win a single trophy for his team, including when he was part of Greek football
powerhouse Panathinaikos, before moving to Germany.
At the international level, Gekas
was yet part of the winning squad in EURO 2004. He made his debut in 2005 and
scored 24 goals and provided eight assists. He was the top scorer in the 2010
FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the UEFA zone and also helped his nation qualify
for South Africa 2010 amid failing to progress from the group stage and reach
the quarterfinal in EURO 2012, where he bagged one goal too.
|
Clubs
/ teams when clinching top scorer awards |
Goals
(assists) |
Team
result |
|
Panathinaikos
(2004/05) |
18
|
2nd
place in Greek Super League |
|
VfL
Bochum (2005/06) |
22
(4) |
8th
place in Bundesliga |
|
Greece
national team (2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers) |
9
|
Qualified
to 2010 FIFA World Cup |
Antonio
Di Natale (Italy)
The
Udinese legend is undoubtedly one of serial top scorer without a single trophy
at the top level. His only title was winning Coppa Italia Serie C in 1995/96
when he was young for Empoli.
The
Napoli-born forward was awarded the Golden Boot award three times, two in
Italian Serie A and once in Coppa Italia 2015. Di Natale moved to Udinese in
2004 and stayed for 12 years there without winning any silverware. He scored
227 goals and set up 73 goals for Zebrette. His contribution did help his team
to finish fourth place twice and sit third once in 2010/11 campaign.
At
the international level, Di Natale was capped 42 times and registered 11 goals
and five assists. Unfortunately, he was never the first choice for Gli Azzurri.
Despite making his debut in 2002, he was only included in the squad for EURO
2008 and 2012 plus 2010 FIFA World Cup.
|
Clubs
/ teams when clinching top scorer awards |
Goals
(assists) |
Team
result |
|
Udinese
(2009/10) |
29
(6) |
12th
place in Serie A |
|
Udinese
(2010/11) |
28
(6) |
3rd
place in Serie A |
|
Udinese
in Coppa Italia 2014/15 |
4
|
Round
of 16 |
Aldo
Boffi (Italy)
He was the former AC Milan forward before the World War
II and won Cappocanonieri or Serie A top scorer three times, in 1939, 1940 and
1942. However, his goals were not able to help his team finish in the top
three. Let alone snatch a trophy.
Boffi played for Rossonerri from 1936 to 1943. It was the
last active year of football competition before the intrusion of WW II. Sadly,
he could not deliver a single title for Milan. Their best finish was on the third place in the 1940/41 campaign and Coppa Italia runner up in 1942.
Overall, the Guissano-born striker notched up 130 goals for AC Milan.
At the international level, Boffi was not lucky too. He
only made two appearances with Gli Azzurri in 1938 and 1939 without scoring a
single goal. After WW II, he was no longer called up for international
fixtures. Boffi moved to Atalanta but failed to replicate his top form in Milan
with La Dea.
|
Clubs
/ teams when clinching top scorer awards |
Goals
(assists) |
Team
result |
|
AC
Milan (1938/39) |
19 |
9th
place in Serie A |
|
AC
Milan (1939/40) |
23 |
8th
place in Serie A |
|
AC
Milan (1941/42) |
22 |
9th
place in Serie A |
|
AC
Milan Coppa Italia 1937 |
7 |
Semifinal
|
Guiseppe
Signori (Italy)
He was one of the Serie A stars in
1990s. Signori was well-known during his stint in Lazio and Bologna. In the
former side, he won top scorer awards three times in Serie A. Yet, their best
campaign was only the runner-up in the 1994/95 season. Meanwhile, in the latter
team, the former prolific forward helped them qualify to UEFA Cup 1998/99 via
Intertoto Cup and advanced to the semifinal. Signori was also named the top
scorer in two Coppa Italia editions, 1993 and 1998.
Nevertheless, he was no longer part of
Lazio’s plan under Sven Goran Eriksson who initiated the club’s best period.
When Signori left the capital in the middle of 1997/98, Lazio won Winners Cup
and UEFA Super Cup at the end of the season, plus clinched a league title in
2000.
The former Foggia and Sampdoria man
appeared in 28 international fixtures with Gli Azzurri. He contributed seven
goals and five assists, including two in 1994 FIFA World Cup. It was the only
major international tournament he took part. Signori was mainly deployed as the
left winger under Arrigo Sacchi instead of the forward. Such position was no
longer his favorite one, especially after enjoying being a lethal bomber to
lead the line. Thanks to his former boss in Foggia, Znedek Zeman, who moved his role from winger to the frontman.
The striker whose iconic no-run-up
penalty impressed the world bagged 127 goals plus made 15 assists for
Biancoceleste. He also notched up 84 goals and provided 34 assists during his
time in Bologna.
|
Clubs
/ teams when clinching top scorer awards |
Goals
(assists) |
Team
result |
|
Lazio
(1992/93) |
26
(3) |
5th
place in Serie A |
|
Lazio
(1993/94) |
23
(-) |
4th
place in Serie A |
|
Lazio
(1995/96 |
24
(2) |
9th
place in Serie A |
|
Lazio
Coppa Italia 1993 |
6(1) |
quarterfinals |
|
Lazio
Coppa Italia 1998 |
6(1) |
Round
of 16 |
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