As the business end of the football season approaches and the major trophies are handed out, sport.co.uk looks back at the most heartbreaking failures in professional sport.
10. Lewis Hamilton: He may have won the F1 World Championship a year later, but in the 2007 season Hamilton threw away his lead at the top of the drivers’ standings during the final race of the season in Brazil.
9. Phil Jagielka: When your luck runs out, it really runs out. Less than a week after scoring the winning penalty in the FA Cup semi-final, the Everton defender sustained knee ligament damage that will rule him out of the final against Chelsea.
8. Jens Lehmann: Going into the 2006 Champions League final, the crazy German keeper had heroically kept ten consecutive clean sheets in the competition – still a record. Arsenal’s Lehmann was harshly sent off after 18 minutes of the final, and Barcelona subsequently won 2-1.
7. Greg Norman: Somehow Norman contrived to fritter away a six shot lead going into the final round at the 1996 Masters. And boy, did he blow it with style – the popular Australian ended up five strokes behind winner Nick Faldo. That’s some swing (sorry).
6. Jana Novotna: No-one gave Novotna a chance going into the 1993 Wimbledon final against the ruthless Steffi Graf. Leading 4-1 in the second set, the Czech was a point away from needing one game to secure the title. She lost the point... and I’m sure you can guess the rest.
5. Alan Pardew: Way back when people had yet to cotton onto the fact Alan Pardew really wasn’t that good a manager, his Hammers side were within a minute of FA Cup glory in 2006. A 91st minute Steven Gerrard strike took the final into extra time, before Liverpool won on penalties.
4. Scott Boswell: The Leicestershire bowler had taken four wickets in the 2001 C & G Trophy semi, winning man of the match in the process. In the final, however, he was spraying it like a garden hose – he bowled one over of an astonishing 14 balls (including 6 wides).
3. Roy Keane: Manchester United captain Keane picked up a booking in the 1999 CL semi-final against Juventus that meant he missed the final. At the time, Keane called it “the worst experience in football”. In fairness, how was he to know he’d end up managing Sunderland?
2. John Terry: In that great tradition of English penalty takers, JT missed a crucial spot-kick – failing to score in the 2006 Champions League final. Had Terry netted, he would have won the trophy for Chelsea and also (probably) have kept Avram Grant in a job.
1. Jimmy White: Well, where to start. Massively talented, but about as cool as lava when under pressure, White got to six World Championship finals and won none of them (including several occasions where he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory).