Well no, I'm a football fan, I also remember the teams that reached the final because they are objectively very strong like the winners, only those who are not very experienced only remember the winners and ignore the rest, so even the runners-up are remembered.
Teams that finish runners-up, or even those that reach the final despite losing, will certainly be remembered by many. Without a loser in the final or a runner-up in the league, we wouldn't know who would be the champion, as the winner is always crowned after a loser. The same goes for those who top the standings. But in the Champions League, let alone reaching the final, even reaching the semifinals is still remembered by some because the Champions League is a very difficult league, and that's true even from the standings stage.