La Liga: Notable players who never won the Spanish league title despite playing for 15 years

French striker Antoine Griezmann, who will leave La Liga after 17 seasons, has the curious record of not winning a single top division title despite playing for two of the three most successful clubs in the league: 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 Madrid.

However, Griezmann is not the only player to have endured a long period without tasting success in La Liga. There are others like the Frenchman, who have not had the privilege of calling themselves La Liga champions.

Here are five players in La Liga history who have gone more than fifteen seasons without winning the trophy.

Jesus Navas

La Liga career -2003-2024 (21 years)

Appearances – 517, goals – 27, assists -86

Played for Sevilla FC

Navas is perhaps the biggest name after Griezmann, who has never won La Liga despite 18 attempts while playing for Sevilla, who finished in third place during his time there.

But that said, the Spaniard is one of the most decorated players in the club’s history, with two Copa Del Rey titles, two Super Cup titles and four Europa League titles.

Although Navas is now retired and insists that the lack of a La Liga title in his trophy cabinet makes no difference to him, there is no doubt that the shine of his illustrious career would have been reflected much brighter had he won the title.

Johannes Capdevila

La Liga career – 1998-2017 with gaps in between (15 years)

Appearances – 410, goals – 36, assists -16

Played for Atletico Madrid, RCD Espanyol, Deportivo de La Coruna, Villareal CF

Joan Capdevila was the only member of Spain’s 2010 World Cup finals who was not a Real Madrid or Barcelona player. The Spanish left-back, who also played a key role in helping his country win the 2008 European Championship, has played for four La Liga clubs and came close to winning the trophy on a number of occasions with Deportivo La Coruna.

Capdevila joined Deportivo in 2001, a year after the club won its first and only La Liga title. Deportivo finished second the following seasons, missing out on the trophy by just six points in the 2003–04 season.

The Spaniard 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 did not enjoy any success.

Aritz Aduriz

La Liga career – 2002-2020 (18 years)

Appearances – 443, goals – 158, assists -54

Played for Athletic Bilbao

Aritz Aduriz has only won one trophy in his entire playing career: the Spanish Super Cup in the 2015-2016 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 into a title in 18 years playing for Athletic Bilbao, the only La Liga team he represented.

Aduriz was part of the Spain squad in only one major tournament, the 2016 European Championship, in which he made three appearances but scored no goals.

Dani Parejo

The Career League – 2009–present

Appearances – 443, goals – 76, assists – 86

Played for Real Madrid CF, Valencia CF and has been playing for Villareal CF since 2020

Dani Parejo is the only other active player currently playing in La Liga who has played for over 16 years and not won the trophy. Parejo represented two La Liga-winning title teams, Real Madrid and Valencia, but was not part of their league-winning sides.

His current club, Villareal, has never won the trophy and its highest finish was second place 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 at least another year, with Villareal 15 points adrift at 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, a Liga Liga veteran, is the most experienced player in the league with 622 appearances. But the Spanish striker, who has been active for more than 20 seasons, is yet another player who has not won the trophy.

Sanchez holds the clear record of being the only player to win two Copa Del Rey trophies with Real Betis, captaining the trophy in the 2021-2022 season at the age of 41.

While the Spaniard will be remembered for his longevity, his storied career would have felt more complete with a La Liga title

Published on March 25, 2026