The football world has a long list of players who deserved to win a World Cup, or at least participate in one of these competitions.
The latest name added in this list is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will not feature in Brazil in 2014. The Swedish striker, who has remained in the elite over the past decade, said that a World Cup without him is not worth to be seen.
Far from being just a manifestation of a huge ego, this is further proof of how unpredictable football is.
While Ibrahimovic has already played two World Cups (in 2002 and 2006 Sweden was eliminated in the second round), players like Ryan Giggs or George Weah have not been able to play in a competition of this stature.
Both had the misfortune to be born in countries whose national teams have never achieved great sporting results. They are the clearest examples of great players who have shone in the big leagues in Europe, but have not had the opportunity to contest a World Cup.
Of the two, the Welsh player from Manchester United was probably closest.
Even in large national teams, some champions of the world, there are cases of great players who could not play even a minute in a World Cup match.
From Argentina, we can quickly mention Ramon Diaz and Carlos Bianchi, both very great scorers.
Diaz get kicked out of Italy in 1990 due to personal differences he had with Diego Maradona, while Carlos Bianchi, with a long career in French football, missed out on the 1986 World Cup in Mexico due to a serious injury.
The case of Germany’s Bernd Schuster is even sadder.
The talented midfielder from Barcelona and Real Madrid missed the opportunity to play in a World Cup due to differences that he held with the German Football Association, which led him to give up playing for his national team.
Eric Cantona missed the opportunity to play USA 94 because their national team failed to qualify for the competition.
Cantona’s bad luck was that, due to the frustration of not getting great results in his national team, the Frenchman withdrew from it in 1997.
But perhaps the most striking case of this list of great players who could not play a single game of the World Cup has been Alfredo Di Stefano.
The star of Real Madrid during the 50s and 60s defended the colors of three national teams during his career and in no case was able to play a game at the highest level of world football.
In 1950 Argentina did not attend the tournament for political reasons. Shortly after Di Stefano opted for the Colombian national team, but the team failed to reach the World Cup in 1954.
And when finally the Real Madrid striker had a chance to play the competition for the Spanish national team in 1962, an untimely injury sidelined him.
Remembering those big names who did not have the chance to play even a game in the most important football competition of the world forces us to value and respect those who have reached such a high honour.
Maybe some of them are unknown, others have not even been good players, but the reality is that they have fulfilled the dream of many of us and so deserve our respect.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
Alex, this article is about players who never went to the World Cup, not those who've never won it.
AZ_RBB
Guest
Apparently Zlatan will be Australia's World Cup send off opponent. We are not worthy.
Alex
Guest
Paolo Maldini and Roberto Baggio were two great players who never won the WC although having played in a final in 1994! Their omission in this article is unfortunate.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
Jimmy Johnstone was in the 1974 squad, I think he was the only one of that Celtic team to go to a World Cup (can any Bhoys verify that?) And of course Jock Stein managed both the Lisbon Lions and took the Scottish national team to the 1982 World Cup, but not, tragically, to the 1986 tournament.
Evan Askew
Guest
Did any of the Celtic team that won the European cup in 1967 play at the world cup? This was a period when Scotland didn't qualfy for the world cup between 1958 and 1974.
Adam
Guest
Zlatan is god
Johnno
Guest
George Weah
Punter
Guest
Robbie Slater, Ned Zelich & Paul Okon.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
I remember Guivar’ch having a terrible time at Newcastle, only playing 4 matches, before Ruud Gullit moved him on to Rangers. He always seemed to attract media coverage in the UK for his name, pretty much every article having to explain that it was common in Brittany for apostrophes to appear as such in names. Funnily enough, even now, at work, where I test computer software, I still use his name when I have to verify that name fields will accept apostrophes without crashing!
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
The even funnier thing is that he was supposed to be our starting n9 at the WC! Trezeguet and Henry were 19-20, Dugarry was on the wing and Guivar'ch had played a few friendlies and Jacquet/the media had him as our main striker as the other 2 were 'too young'. Jacquet finally opted for Henry (don't remember if its after game 1 or 2) and we never heard of Guivar'ch after the WC (not at this level anyway). But in all honesty he was probably the best we had after Papin and Before the Henry, Trezeguet, Anelka generation. (and Guivar'ch is a true Celt/Breton btw ;)!!!
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
26 minutes in 1982 (thank you Wikipedia!) I think he was nearing the end of his time at Southampton then, it was just prior to his move to Newcastle.
apaway
Roar Guru
Did Kevin Keegan play in a World Cup? My mind may be playing tricks on me, but England failed to qualify for 1974 or 1978. Was Keegan there in 1982? Wasn't he playing out his career in the 2nd Division with Newcastle by then?
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
Guivar’ch! To call him average is to pay him a compliment! :D
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
Hello Nick, I'm having to rack my brains thinking of any good English players missing out on World Cups (other than Matt Le Tissier, but then he rarely featured for the national team). Hateley and Wilkins both went to the '86 World Cup (Wilkins was at the '82 one too). I had thought that Norman "bites yer legs" Hunter came close, but I've since discovered that he made a brief appearance as a substitute towards the end of the loss to West Germany in 1970. And of the mob/s that failed to qualify in '74 & '78, I can't think of anyone that would be classified as one of football's greatest from that era that wasn't either there in '70 or still playing in '82. Probably the best known English player to never go - although hardly a shock as he never managed to replicate his club form for his country - would be Ian Wright: he wasn't in the squad in '90, England DNQ in '94, and he was injured in '98. I understand that Lee Cattermole has yet to make an appearance though... ;)
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Its true that not qualifying to a WC (or 2!) really makes it hard for a player to ever play in one as it means you have to be at the top for 6-8 years minimum to have a second chance. Considering a WC has the potential to make or break a career its amazing to think guys like giggs, best and co never played in one yet they are legends of the game.
Franko
Guest
Rush was Welsh, so much like Bale no WC for him. Matt Le Tissier never played in a WC, England missed USA 94 and he was out of favour most of the time. The Cantona of England I guess.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
So we have legends of the game like Best, Cantona, Di Stefano, Schuster or Giggs who have never played in a WC while very average footballers have won it (who remember Charbonnier, Diomede or Stephane Guivar'ch in 98?! no one)! If that's not a proof there is no god ;)!
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Agree hardcore, Litmanen was a legend! Any good English player who didn't play a WC? I saw Ian Rush never played. How about guys like Wilkins, Hateley? Maybe a few in the early 90s as you guys also missed 94?
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
no worries at all mate, I had to check to be sure ;). 86 was the generation of Burruchaga and Olarticoechea 2 guys who played in France like Carlos Bianchi. I remember the first 2 as I was a kid/teen then but not much about Bianchi as a player except his hairstyle. Another Argentine who was a star in France in the early 80s but never played the WC is Delio Onnis. What a striker that was!
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
I don't know about that. UEFA, with their 2020 multi-country European Championships, look like they're trying to out-do the parent organisation for ridiculous ideas.