These 5 European giants doomed to a trophyless season

In top-level football, the line between triumph and collapse is razor-thin. As spring delivers its final verdicts, several heavyweights already know their fate: their trophy cabinet will stay shut this summer. The year of nothingness.

Between growing pains and a carousel of managers, here’s a look at five major clubs that will finish the season without the slightest medal. The important thing is to take part...

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The king of the Champions League has abdicated. Knocked out on Wednesday night by Bayern in the Champions League quarter-finals, Los Blancos have lost their last hope of a title. The 2025-26 season has been one of total upheaval: after Carlo Ancelotti left for the Brazil national team in the summer of 2025, then Xabi Alonso was sacked last January, it is Álvaro Arbeloa who is finishing the season as the emergency firefighter. Left far behind in La Liga by an imperious Barça, Real are heading for their first trophyless season since 2021.

In Italy, the Igor Tudor project was short-lived, ending as early as last October. Under Luciano Spalletti, appointed to steady the ship, Juventus showed some improvement but had started from too far back. Eliminated from the Coppa Italia in the quarter-finals and knocked out of Europe by Galatasaray (5-7 on aggregate in the playoffs), Juve are now watching Inter Milan pull away toward the title. A transitional season that weighs heavily in Piedmont.

This is perhaps the most worrying collapse. Ajax are going through a deep identity crisis. Eliminated without glory from the Dutch Cup after a crushing 6-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar, and far off the pace in the league (with PSV already champions), the Lancers are ending the campaign in the anonymity of the Eredivisie top five. For the first time in decades, the Amsterdam institution seems to have lost its compass.

Instability continues to reign at Old Trafford. Despite an ambitious summer recruitment drive (Mbeumo, Šeško and Cunha), United parted ways with manager Ruben Amorim as early as January 5. The interim spell overseen by club legend Michael Carrick has not been enough to make up the abyssal gap in the Premier League. Knocked out early from all domestic cups and with no European campaign to shine in, the Red Devils will have to settle for fighting for a Champions League spot.

"Forever the first": a slogan that seems to have lost some of its shine after recent failures.

In Marseille , more than anywhere else, hope is a driving force that can quickly turn into brutal disillusionment. In this spring of 2026, the verdict is clear: despite a squad built to compete on all fronts and heavy recruitment over the past three years, OM are preparing to endure yet another trophyless season. One more in a trophy cabinet that is starting to gather serious dust.

If the league is out of reach, it is the Coupe de France elimination that still sticks in the supporters’ throats. OM once again collapsed in a penalty shootout (3-4) against Toulouse in the quarter-finals. For the fans, the wait for a major trophy (since 2012) goes on.

“Honorable” mentions: Liverpool, Benfica, AC Milan, Tottenham, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.