The 2022 World Cup is just around the corner and, with domestic games now on hold, players can finally stop worrying about picking up injuries that could rule them out of the tournament.
Some superstars haven’t been so lucky in their quest to remain injury free though and, like the rest of us, will be watching the tournament from home this winter. There are also a number of top players whose national teams fell short in qualification.
In this article, we take a look at some elite players who have been forced to miss out on this year’s festive feast of football.
Erling Haaland
Since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, Erling Haaland has lit up the Premier League, finding the back of the net 18 times in just 13 appearances. The strength of his performances thus far this season have led a number of football fans to question whether he is human or a specially designed footballing robot!
Unfortunately though we will not be able to see how Haaland would perform on the world stage as Norway failed to qualify for Qatar after finishing third in their qualifying group behind Turkey and the Netherlands.
It also means that we won’t be treated to the delicious through balls and deft touches of Arsenal’s creative midfielder Martin Odegaard which is a shame for football purists.
Paul Pogba
The 29-year-old Frenchman has had a rough time of it at club level since leaving Juventus in 2016 for Manchester United.
Earlier this year, Pogba finally brought an end to his Old Trafford turmoil, returning to Turin in the hope of recapturing some of the magic that saw him rated as one of the top midfielders on the planet.
Unfortunately for Pogba he hasn’t managed a single minute of football since re-joining Juventus in the summer after undergoing knee surgery to fix an ongoing issue.
His absence from Didier Deschamps side in Qatar will be keenly felt, especially with the double blow of Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante missing out through a hamstring injury.
With such a gaping hole in France’s midfield, it’s a wonder that Les Bleus still manage to feature so highly in the World Cup odds.
Mo Salah
Staying in the Premier League, one of the biggest names to miss out on this winter’s tournament is Liverpool’s scoring sensation Mo Salah. The Egyptian winger, or King as he is known to Liverpool fans, missed out on qualification to the World Cup in the most agonising of fashion.
Egypt fell at the final hurdle of qualification in a penalty shoot out to Senegal with Salah’s former club teammate Sadio Mane firing in the winning spot kick.
With the nation though being criticised for their boring style of play and gamesmanship during the AFCON, they would perhaps not be missed by many at the tournament though..
Gianluigi Donnarumma
The towering PSG keeper’s last act at a major tournament was saving Bukayo Saka’s penalty in the shootout. He will have to wait at least another 18 months for his next involvement at a major tournament after Italy failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup.
After finishing runners up to Switzerland in their qualifying group, Italy shockingly lost to North Macedonia in their World Cup playoff. It is the second consecutive World Cup that the Rossoneri have failed to reach after also missing out in 2018.
Interestingly, Fabio Grosso was the last Italian to kick a ball for his country in the World Cup knockout stages with his winning penalty against France in 2006 – that’s a fact for the pub quiz!
Diego Jota
Another Liverpool start to be missing out on this winter’s World Cup is diminutive Portuguese forward Diego Jota.
Since joining the club from Wolves last season, Jota cemented himself as a regular in Jurgen Klopp’s side before an injury during the 1-0 win over Manchester City earlier this season ruled him out of action.
At 25, Jota still has plenty of major tournaments to look forward to, ones where he won’t be a supporting actor to Cristiano Ronaldo either…