The definition of a season to forget.
Whenever a footballer decides that it’s time to call a day on their playing career, you hope that they reminisce about the good times more than the bad.
There are some moments however that must haunt a player long after they hang up their boots. Losing finals in particular must hurt for a long, long time.
How about losing the two biggest finals that football has to offer, both in the same season? Ouch.
So far, ten players have fallen afoul of this and the losers club has a new recruit.
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Despite being one of the best defenders in the world (self proclaimed), Dejan Lovren’s record this season would suggest otherwise.
After Croatia came up short in the World Cup final against France, Lovren not only left the tournament with a tear-stained shirt, but also joined the illustrious list of double final losers.
With the addition of Lovren, ten players have now suffered the ultimate tear-jerker of a season and lost both the World Cup and Champions League finals in the space of 12 months.
Football only started in 1992 though, right? Therefore we’ve narrowed it down to the seven players you actually would have heard of.
Yer Da will have to wait for the others.
Some of these names don’t deserve such an unwelcome record…
Carsten Ramelow, Bern Schneider and Oliver Neuville – Bayer Leverkusen and Germany 2002
Ramelow, Schneider and Neuville all started both the World Cup and Champions League finals in 2002.
The trio’s season to forget all started after Leverkusen lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid.
The game is remembered most for Zinedine Zidane’s spectacular volley which helped the Spanish side to a 2-1 win.
Fresh off the back of defeat in Europe’s top competition, life got no better for the German trio on the world stage.
Germany lost the 2002 World Cup final to Brazil after Ronaldo scored a brace to compound their misery.
The defeats must have left Ramelow, Schneider and Neuville thinking ‘what is the point, seriously?’
Thierry Henry – Arsenal and France 2006
Arsenal’s record goalscorer famously failed to win Europe’s elite competition with the Gunners.
The Frenchman came closest in 2006 after Arsenal’s impressive run to the Champions League final was ended by Barcelona in Paris.
The 2-1 defeat was then followed by further misery for Henry just two months later in the World Cup final.
France were beaten on penalties by Italy and Henry was denied his second World Cup winners medal after his triumph with the 1998 squad.
The Arsenal icon did however finally get his hands on the one trophy that had eluded him for so long.
Henry won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009, prompting football purists everywhere to crack a smile regardless of club alliances. Except of course if you’re Irish…
Arjen Robben and Mark van Bommel- Bayern Munich and Holland 2010
Robben and van Bommel had a season to forget after they came unstuck in both of football’s biggest finals.
The pair were starters as Bayern suffered a 2-0 defeat in the Champions League final at the hands of Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho.
Things got no better for Robben and van Bommel after Holland were then beaten in the World Cup final just two months later.
Andres Iniesta scored the winner for Spain in extra-time and compounded a rotten season for the Dutch pair.
It would be fair to say that Lovren is probably the least surprising name to make the list.
According to the man himself though, it doesn’t matter, he’s one of the best defenders in the world regardless.
Whatever helps him sleep at night.
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