Top 10 players to have never won a league title in their careers

#4 Gordon Banks

Gordon Banks won the World Cup with England but never captured a league title

Recognized by many as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the game, Gordon Banks – who passed away in February at the age of 81 – might’ve helped England to their famous victory in the 1966 World Cup, but despite a storied career at the top level from the 1958/59 season through to the end of 1972/73 – when he moved to the USA – he was never able to capture a league championship.

Surprisingly enough, at club level at least, Banks won just 1 trophy during his career – the EFL Cup, which he captured on two occasions, first with Leicester in 1964 and then with Stoke in 1972. Of course, it’s very much worth noting that during the era in which Banks played, players were far less likely to make a lot of moves across their careers – this was decades before big-money transfers – and tended to stay loyal to a smaller handful of clubs.

Banks could certainly have won plenty of trophies during his career, including a potential league title, had things gone slightly differently; legendary Liverpool boss Bill Shankly reportedly wanted to sign him at the end of 1966/67, but the Reds’ board of directors thought the £50,000 asking price for him was too much for a goalkeeper! Liverpool won the Division One title in 1965/66, but with Banks between the sticks, they could well have repeated the feat in the seasons that followed, too.