Why is it hard to find a ticket to the Champions League semi-finals? Eight top superstars wrote their answers with regrets in their careers

When the final whistle at the Princes Park Stadium in Paris cut through the night sky of Lisbon, Neymar's kneeling on the ground to cover his face became the heartbreaking footnote of the Champions League final that year. This moment seems like the black humor carefully arranged by the spirit of football - in this season when the French Ligue 1 giants entered the semi-finals in historic season, their former leading scorer Cavani had to witness the journey of his teammates in front of the TV due to the contract renewal. This reminds people of those football legends who have been close to the top stage since the reform of the Champions League.

In the purple years of Florence, Gabriel Batistuta's celebration of shooting the corner flagpole with a machine gun became the most shocking visual symbol on the Apennines. This Argentine spent a long time pouring purple lilies into a Serie A powerhouse, but he also missed the opportunity to climb to the top of Europe because of his persistence. In the UEFA Champions League group stage one year, the God of War, who was at its peak, scored twice against Manchester United, and violent shots made the Dutch iron guard a background board. But the complex competition system at that time was like a maze. Even if Fiorentina beat the Premier League giants, it still failed in the subsequent stage. When he turned to Rome to realize his Serie A championship, the traces of time had quietly climbed up to his eyebrows.

Fate's most cruel mockery of loyalists is fully displayed in Francesco Totti. On the night of Old Trafford one spring, when teammates dyed red, Rome was in desperate situation, and the scene of the wolf king dragging his injured leg alone became the final silhouette of his Champions League journey. In his many years of career as a Red Wolf, Toti made a seven-time Champions League victory, with the best result being stopped in the quarterfinals. The most black humorous thing is that in his first season after his retirement, Roma completed the miracle of Camp Nou to reverse Barcelona - the core center of this team took over the legendary number he left behind.

The experience of Premier League historical scorer Alan Shearer is even more daring. When Blackburn topped the Premier League, the rules for the Champions League were not yet perfected; when Newcastle qualifies, he suffered a major injury before the season. When the Sagittarius King came back, the Magpie had already been out of the group. The most dramatic thing is that in a certain qualifying match, Newcastle was eliminated by the Balkans team, and Hiller scored two invalid goals at home - the video referee skills will not be available in the Champions League many years later.

Patrick Vieira's fate trajectory is full of fateful misses. When his former teammates held up the Champions League runner-up draw in Paris, the French iron waist was packing his bags in the Apennines - but they had previously experienced league turmoil when they transferred to Juventus. What is even more ironic is that on the eve of the triple-championship of the Nerazzurri, one year later, Vieira turned to the Premier League newcomer due to her competitive state, and she missed the Champions League trophy forever.

Under the spotlight of Stamford Bridge, Gianfranco Zora conquered Britain with magician footwork, but she could not cross the Champions League quarter-finals threshold. When the Blues historically eliminated their city mortal enemies, the Italian elves were already enjoying the sea breeze in Sardinia. The most regrettable thing is Tony Adams, the Gunners Iron-blooded Captain, who has made three attempts to the Champions League, and his best result is only a trip to the quarterfinals in the last century. When the professor led the team to the finals, the statue of King Highbury had stood outside the court for years.

Van der Fate's years at the Bernabeu coincided with the pain of the reconstruction of the Galaxy battleship. The Dutch had outstanding data, but was continuously blocked by the French Ligue 1 powerhouses in the quarterfinals. As for Cavani, Lisbon Night should have been the stage for him to make his name clear - he played the whole audience before reversing the Bundesliga giants, but he had a rift with the top leaders during the contract renewal negotiations. As the new stars hit Bayern's defense, the Uruguayans were waiting for a turn of fate in the British medical examination room.

The stories of these superstars have pieced together the cruel truth of the Champions League: tickets to the top stage often require a perfect fit between the right time, place, and people. Loyalty may become a shackle, transfers may be in the wrong pace, and injuries always come at critical moments.

While we praise the stable output of the two heroes for more than ten years, we should also remember these regrets - it is their absence that makes the gems in the Champions League crown appear more precious. There is never a place for "if" to live in the world of football, but it is these unfinished dreams that constitute the most moving and tragic chapter in the Green Epic.