Athletistic/Football. The sense of anticipation is growing as the 2022 World Cup approaches, but some brilliant players will miss the World Cup.
Thirty-two countries will battle it out for the trophy when the tournament kicks off in winter, with defending champions France facing stiff competition from Brazil, Spain, Argentina, England and France. Belgium. Portugal and the Netherlands have been declared dark horses, but not all traditionally strong countries will be represented in Qatar.
Euro 2020 winners Italy were set to return to the World Cup after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. However, Roberto Mancini’s men blew their chance after a humiliating playoff loss to North Macedonia.
Sweden, Colombia, Chile, Nigeria and Egypt have also failed, meaning some brilliant players will be forced to watch the World Cup from their sofas.
Erling Holland – Norway
Holland was once considered one of the best strikers in Europe, but his shares have skyrocketed since joining City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer for £51m ($54m).
The Norwegian instantly silenced critics who suggested it would be difficult for him to succeed in the Premier League, scoring 14 goals in his first eight appearances.
He also netted three times in the Champions League, becoming the fastest man to score 25 career goals, but it’s the 22-year-old’s international record that best illustrates his superstar status.
Holland has scored 21 goals in 22 games for the Norwegian national team, which has only appeared at three World Cups and played in the last World Cup in 1998.
Norway’s prospects have improved lately thanks to the presence of the Netherlands, but they missed much of their last qualifying campaign through injury and the Norwegians ended up finishing third in their group behind the Netherlands and Turkey.
The Netherlands will be missed by most neutral Qatar supporters, but defenders will likely be happy not to have to stand in the way of City’s new leader.
Jan Oblak – Slovenia
Goalkeepers cannot change the game on their own, but they can provide the platform on which great teams are built.
Jan Oblak has been playing this role at Atlético Madrid since 2014 and has proven to be one of the best in the business.
The 29-year-old footballer also played 51 matches for the Slovenian national team, he didn’t miss 23 of them.
However, that wasn’t enough to help Slovenia qualify for Qatar as Cloud’s dream of a World Cup is now fading as he nears 30.
Marco Verratti – Italy
Both Paris Saint-Germain and Italy benefit from having a miniature genius in midfield, a player who can dictate play with his exceptional passing range and outspoken attacks with his ability to read the game.
The quality of Marco Verratti was fully demonstrated when Italy won the last European Championship, especially in the final.
Verratti dictated Italy’s game until he was substituted in extra time, showing the best stats for successful tackles and ball returns.
But even a player like Verratti could not prevent Italy’s relegation to the joints of North Macedonia.
Mohamed Salah – Egypt
Liverpool frontman Mohamed Salah has terrorized the defense of Premier League and Champions League clubs for much of the past five years.
He also scored an impressive 49 goals in 86 caps, but we won’t see that at the World Cup in Qatar as Senegal have crossed paths with Egypt twice this year. The Egyptians lost twice to Senegal on penalties: in the African Cup final and in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Luis Diaz – Colombia
Joining Salah on the list is his Liverpool team-mate Luis Diaz, who has been an instant leader at Anfield since moving from Porto in January.
The versatile winger helped the Reds win an FA Cup and League Cup in his first few months at the club and is now an integral part of the attacking trio with the departure of Sadio Mane.
Diaz’s club future certainly looks bright, but if you take the national team, he is part of a team that is being rebuilt.
Colombia reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup and reached the round of 16 four years later. Their leaders were world stars such as James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao.
However, this time the Colombians only managed to take sixth place in the CONMEBOL qualifier with 10 teams participating.
David Alaba – Austria
David Alaba is revered as one of the greatest Austrian players of all time, having won everything that could be won at club level, as well as making 96 international appearances for the national side.
However, the Real Madrid defender has never appeared in a World Cup final. This time Austria couldn’t get past Wales at the joints.
Alaba will be 33 when the next tournament kicks off with a new, expanded 48-team format making its debut in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
However, by then he will undoubtedly be past his prime and may not even be a guaranteed starter, as the next generation of Austrian talent is hot on his heels.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Sweden
The man who will definitely never play in a World Cup again is veteran Milan center forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The 40-year-old played in two World Cups before leaving Sweden in 2016. Then he returned last year to help the Swedes qualify for Qatar.
Sweden ultimately failed, losing to Poland, and Ibrahimović was restricted to a cameo role.
So the exceptional striker is destined to end his career without scoring a single goal in five World Cup matches, and Qatar fans have lost the opportunity to see the last swan song of one of the most famous figures. controversial football.
Martin Odegaard – Norway
Second on the list, and a man who probably doesn’t deserve to sit in Haaland’s shadow, is Martin Odegaard, the ever-improving Arsenal captain.
The former Real Madrid star never enjoyed success at the Santiago Bernabéu, but now Ødegaard is realizing his world-class potential at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal rose to the top of the Premier League, with Ødegaard pulling the strings in midfield, to which he provided a much-needed creative spark.
The 23-year-old’s international exploits have helped him mature quickly, as he has already made 44 caps for the Norwegian national team since becoming their youngest player aged 15 in 2014.
Odegaard also captained his country last year but will have to wait for his chance to succeed.
Gianluigi Donnarumma – Italy
The Italian No.1 goalkeeper showed a colossal level of play at Euro 2020, playing a total of 719 minutes, more than any other player.
Donnarumma even received the player of the tournament award, saving three penalties in the semi-final and final against Spain and England.
In club, he usurped the place of Keylor Navas in the starting lineup of PSG.
However, his incredible saves will not be seen in Qatar as his team failed in qualifying – much to the delight of those ready to challenge for the coveted World Cup Golden Boot.
Andrew Robertson – Scotland
Completing the hat-trick of Liverpool’s missing World Cup stars include Scotsman Andy Robertson, who played a key role in transforming the Reds into one of Europe’s most exciting teams under Jurgen Klopp .
Steve Clark’s team in the joints lost to Ukraine with the score 1:3. Scotland have not participated in the World Cup for 24 years.
Victor Osimhen – Nigeria
Osimhen is the last person on our list, he was part of the Nigerian squad that lost to Ghana in the African World Cup qualifying play-offs.
The 2022 World Cup could be a game-changing tournament for Osimhen, who has scored 30 goals in 68 games for Napoli since moving from Lille in the summer of 2020.
The 23-year-old’s international record is even more impressive as he scored 15 goals in 23 appearances for Nigeria, who will miss the World Cup for only the second time since 1994.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev/Athletistic
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I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
