There are football teams that hold great promise because of the amazingly talented players they have and such teams are referred to as golden generation. One thing that is most expected of these teams is winning trophies but unfortunately some of them fell short, even though they did play well.
The Hungary team of the 1950s is one of such teams that failed to win a trophy, even though they dominated in almost every game they played. They reached the final at the 1954 FIFA World Cup, only to lose 3-2 to West Germany. In that tournament, they scored a total of twenty-seven goals- the highest number of goals ever scored by a team at a single world cup tournament.
However, this article is interested in golden generation teams that failed to deliver in the 21st century. So the Hungary team of the 1950s, the Dutch team of the 1970s and any other great national team that played before in the 20th century will not be included.
1. Belgium (2014 till date):
A Belgium team that has had the likes of Vincent Kompany, Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard, has struggled to win a trophy, much to the amazement of football fans. This team has been ranked number 1 by FIFA for several years but they have remained trophiless. Kompany is now retired and most of the players in that team are getting old and may call it quits in no distant time. Well, let’s wait and know if they will finally get their hands on a trophy.
2. England (2000s):
A whole lot was expected from this England team but sadly they disappointed. This team had Michael Owen, a ballon d’Or winner, alongside Frank Lampard, David Beckham and Steven Gerrard, who were all ballon d’Or finalists. In addition, this team boasted the likes of Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole and Paul Scholes, but surprisingly they never reached the semifinal of any competition.
3. Argentina (2006-2020):
With star players like Juan Roman Riquelme, Juan Sebastian Veron, Pablo Aimar, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Maxi Rodriguez, this Argentina team should have easily won a trophy. But sadly they couldn’t despite playing in several finals. It was not until 2021 when some of these players had already retired that they finally won the Copa America.
4. Ivory Coast (2006-2014):
This Ivory Coast team was feared by other teams in Africa and even beyond. A team that boasted the likes of Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Didier Drogba, Didier Zokora, Emmanuel Eboue and Cheick Tiote. But they were never able to win a trophy, not until 2015 when they won the Africa Cup of Nations. But already, players like Drogba, Eboue and Zokora had retired.
5. Portugal (2000s):
Both Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo were ballon d’Or winners in the 2000s. In addition, this team had exceptionally talented players like Deco, Pauleta, Rui Costa, Helder Postiga and Nuno Gomes but they never got to win a trophy. When Portugal finally won the European Championship in 2016, most of those players were already retired.
6. Ghana (2008-2012):
This Ghana team was one of the best African teams in history and they were so close to becoming the first African national team to reach the world cup semifinal at the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament. They were ranked 14th in 2008- one of the highest rankings ever achieved by an African team. But unfortunately, a Ghana team that had stars like Asamoah Gyan, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Andre Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah and Kevin-Prince Boateng never managed to win a trophy.
7. Netherlands (2006-2014):
They made it to the world cup final in 2010 and reached the world cup semifinal in 2014 but that was the farthest they could go. This meant that players like Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Dirk Kuyt, Edwin Van der Sar, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Robin Van Persie and Rafael Van der Vaart finished their international careers trophiless.
8. Germany (2002-2013):
At a time, Germany was the most consistent team at the world cup. They reached four straight semifinals, from 2002 to 2014, and finally won it in 2014 after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final. Even in the European championship, they reached the final in 2008 and the semifinal in 2012 and 2016. It’s sad that great players like Oliver Kahn, Michael Ballack, Oliver Neuville and Bernd Schneider retired without an international trophy.
9. Senegal (2000s):
This team is mostly remembered for defeating France at the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament. But they had the potential to achieve much more than that. Well, they were close to winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2002 but they lost to Cameroon via penalty shoot-out in the final. One of their stand-out players was El Hadji Diouf, who was named Africa Player of the Year in 2001 and again in 2002.
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