French forward Antoine Griezmann, who will leave the La Liga after 17 seasons, has the peculiar record of not winning a single top division title despite playing for two of the top three most successful clubs in the competition — FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Curiously, Atletico won La Liga when he left for Barcelona while the latter won the league title the season after Griezmann returned to the Madrid side.
However, Griezmann is not the only player who has endured a long spell without tasting success in the La Liga. There are others like the Frenchman, who have not had the privilege to call themselves La Liga champions.
Here are five players in the history of the La Liga who have gone 15 plus seasons without winning the trophy.
Jesus Navas
La Liga career -2003-2024 (21 years)
Appearances – 517, Goals- 27, Assists-86
Played for Sevilla FC
Barring the La Liga and the Champions League titles, Navas has won every other major trophy there is to win, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Spain.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Barring the La Liga and the Champions League titles, Navas has won every other major trophy there is to win, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Spain.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Navas is perhaps the biggest name after Griezmann who has never won La Liga, inspite of 18 attempts playing for Sevilla, which managed a league high of third position during his time there.
But with that being said, the Spaniard is one of the most decorated players in the club’s history, having won two Copa Del Rey titles, two Super Cup titles and four Europa League Titles.
While Navas is now retired and has maintained that the absence of a La Liga title from his trophy cabinet makes no difference to him, there is no doubt that the shine on his illustrious career would have reflected far more brightly had he won the title.
Joan Capdevila
La Liga Career – 1998-2017 with gaps in between (15 years)
Apperances – 410, Goals- 36, Assists-16
Played for Atletico Madrid, RCD Espanyol, Deportivo de La Coruna, Villareal CF
Capdevila played for Atletico Madrid in the 1999 season but the club finished second last in the table that year.
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Getty Images
Capdevila played for Atletico Madrid in the 1999 season but the club finished second last in the table that year.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Joan Capdevila was the only member of Spain’s 2010 World Cup final starting XI who wasn’t a Real Madrid player or a Barcelona player. The Spanish left-back, who also played a key role in helping his country win the 2008 Euros, has played for four La Liga clubs, and came close to winning the trophy on a few occasions with Deportivo La Coruna.
Capdevila joined Deportivo in 2001, a year after the club won its maiden and only La Liga title. Deportivo finished runner-up in the next couple of seasons, and missed out on the trophy by only six points in the 2003-04 season.
The Spaniard has also played for Benfica in the Primeira Liga in Portugal and for NorthEast United as a marquee player in the Indian Super League in 2014, but he did not enjoy any success.
Aritz Aduriz
La Liga Career – 2002-2020 (18 years)
Appearances – 443, Goals- 158, Assists-54
Played for Athletic Bilbao
In terms of individual achievements, Aduriz had a stellar career in the La Liga.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
In terms of individual achievements, Aduriz had a stellar career in the La Liga.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Aritz Aduriz has won only one trophy in his entire playing career- the Spanish Super Cup in the 2015-16 season.
The Spaniard has had a stellar career in La Liga, scoring 158 goals in 443 appearances but unfortunately, his individual brilliance could not translate to a title in 18 years playing for Athletic Bilbao, the only La Liga team he has represented.
Aduriz has been a part of Spain’s squad in only one major tournament, the 2016 Euros, in which he made three appearances but did not score any goals.
Dani Parejo
La Liga Career – 2009-present
Appearances – 443, Goals- 76, Assists- 86
Played for Real Madrid CF, Valencia CF, playing for Villareal CF since 2020
Parejo played most of his La Liga career at Valencia.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Parejo played most of his La Liga career at Valencia.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Dani Parejo is the only other active player currently in the La Liga who has played for more than 16 years and not won the trophy. Parejo has represented two La Liga winning title teams, Real Madrid and Valencia, but wasn’t part of their league-winning squads.
His current club, Villareal, has never won the trophy and its highest finish was second in the 2007-08 season.
The Spanish midfielder has won the Copa Del Rey and the Europa League, but his wait for the elusive La Liga title is likely to continue for atleast one more year, with Villareal 15 points adrift of the top of the table.
Joaquin Sanchez
La Liga Career – 2001-2023 (22 years)
Appearances – 622, Goals- 77, Assists- 90
Played for Real Betis, Malaga CF, and Valencia CF
Joaquin Sanchez (right in pic) has 622 apperances in the La Liga, the joint highest by any player in the competition’s history.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Joaquin Sanchez (right in pic) has 622 apperances in the La Liga, the joint highest by any player in the competition’s history.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Joaquin Sanchez, a Liga Liga veteran, is the most experienced player in the competition with 622 appearances. But the Spanish forward, who has appeared in more than 20 seasons, is yet another player who has not won the trophy.
Sanchez holds the distinct record of being the only player to have won two Copa Del Rey trophies with Real Betis, captaining the side at 41-years-old to the trophy in the 2021-22 season.
Though the Spaniard will be remembered for his longevity, his storied career would have felt more complete with a La Liga title
Published on Mar 25, 2026
