20 Football Stars Who Missed Major Tournaments

Every coach of a national team knows this very well. The moment they name players for a major tournament, they are subjected to a barrage of questions. Once they have to answer why they have included these players in the squad, just as often they need to explain why they have not called up others.

When the then Spanish national coach Luis Enrique announced the players called up to the national team before the 2020 European Championship, he answered journalists when asked why he had not included experienced defender Sergio Ramos in the squad. He was neither the first nor the last coach to face such questions. Ramos’ absence from the Spanish national team may have left the football world cold, but that has not been the case in other instances in the past.

Best players who missed big football competitions

Over the past decades, some real football stars have failed to make it into the national teams that compete in major tournaments, and some of them are likely to do so this year when the next World Cup in Qatar is played. In this article you will find the prominent players whose absence from major tournaments created the biggest stir and who are still among the most controversial subjects in their respective countries. In addition, there are also some of the best players to never play in a World Cup in our list.

Mário de Castro (Brazil) - 1930 World Cup

In the very first World Cup in history, which took place in Uruguay in 1930, there was one player missing who should absolutely have been there. The striker Mário de Castro is probably still one of the best goal scorers in history. You would be hard pressed to find a player who can show an average of 1.95 goals per game at the end of his career.

But De Castro had the misfortune of playing for Atlético Mineiro, who was in the shadow of the Brazilian national team's two main suppliers - the Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo clubs. Despite being the first footballer from another city to don the national jersey, he failed to play in the first edition of the World Cup in 1930.

While he was nominated for the national team, he was supposed to serve only as a substitute behind the first choice in attack, then Botafogo striker Carvalho Leite. Nevertheless, De Castro refused to play second fiddle and opted not to take part in the tournament. One of the best goal scorers of his era was thus absent from the World Cup, and

ultimately paid the price - failing to progress beyond the first round after losing 2-1 to Yugoslavia.

Gre-No-Li (Sweden) - 1950 and 1954 World Cup

Failing to take a great player to a major football tournament is still something that can happen, but how about not nominating three world-class players for two World Cups? That's a bit of a thick soup. However, the Swedish striker trio Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm, better known as Gre-No-Li, have stepped up to the plate.

In the 1950s, the Swedish trio was among the world's absolute offensive elite, and together they rolled over opponents in the AC Milan jersey. However, this did not sit well with the Swedish Football Association officials, who had wanted the boys to play in national competitions, and banned them from playing in their first World Cups in 1950 and 1954. As a result of their absence, the Scandinavians were knocked out in the semi-finals in 1950 and did not even make it to the tournament four years later without the help of Italy's Serie A stars.

By the time the 1958 World Cup was to be played in

, the Swedes were taking aim at the trio. However, it was a little too late. Nordahl had hung up his cleats, Grena was 37 and Liedholm 35. However, thanks to their experience, the Scandinavians made it to the final, where they lost to Brazil.

Carlos Alberto Torres (Brazil) - 1966 World Cup

The Brazilian defender Carlos Alberto Torres started playing professional football in 1963 at the age of 19 in a Fluminense shirt. He made his debut for the national team just one year later. In the following years, he emerged as one of Brazil's young stars and was generally expected to be part of the team that was expected to go on and win the gold medal at the 1966 World Cup in England. But that didn't happen.

As well as not taking Torres to the British Isles, the coach at the time probably ended up paying a heavy price for his absence. In the group stage, the Brazilians lost points to Hungary and Portugal and were unable to qualify for the next round. Critics often pointed out that Torres was noticeably absent from the team.

But when Joao Saldanha took over the national team, he named Torres captain, leading Brazil to the 1970 World Cup title. Nobody will ever answer the question of whether the Brazilians could have won a third successive title after 1958 and 1962 if he had stayed in England, as some fans and pundits still believe.

Paolo Rossi (Italy) - 1980 European Championship

World Cup winner and top scorer at the 1982 World Cup, Paolo Rossi, is widely regarded as one of the best Italian strikers of all time. He was a tremendously talented player who scored 20 goals in 48 games for the Squadra Azzurra and retired at club level with a record of 103 goals in 251 matches.

Rossi scored 13 Serie A goals for Perugia in the season leading up to the 1980 European Championships. Only Inter Milan's Alessandro Altobelli (15) and Juventus Turin's Roberto Bettega (16) were better than him. Nevertheless, he was not among the five nominated strikers who were invited to the tournament in their own country.

The Italians ended up having to swallow a bitter pill in the form of the "potato medal" when they were denied bronze by Czechoslovakia, who won the battle for third place 9-8 in a nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out. Had the home team had Rossi in midfield then, they might have fared better. Two years later, he proved what a fantastic player he is at the

in Spain.

Agostino Di Bartolomei (Italy) - 1982 World Cup

Some experts still consider Agostino Di Bartolomei to be the greatest Italian football talent of all time. The majority of his career was spent at AS Roma, where he was active between 1972 and 1984, helping the team to four prized trophies - winning Serie A once and the Copa Italia three times. He captained the team to the final of the European Champions Cup in the 1983/84 season, where they lost on penalties to Liverpool.

Playing in fantastic form in the season leading up to the 1982 World Cup in Spain, the central midfielder was a player no one expected to miss out on the Squadra Azzurra's nomination for the most important tournament of all. However, the unbelievable happened, and Di Bartolomei was not invited by coach Enzo Bearzot. As it later turned out, his absence was not questionable, but he did lose the World Cup title...

Liam Brady (Ireland) - 1990 World Cup

During the summer of 1990, as the World Cup was being held in Italy, the attacking midfielder Liam Brady was 34 years old and was regarded as a living legend of Irish football. It was, therefore, a great shock to fans when his name was missing from the nomination for the tournament, in what was only the first time in Ireland's history that the national team had been selected to play in the World Cup.

While the former Arsenal and

Turin striker was absent from the national team during the qualifiers, he then agreed to play in the World Cup again. However, coach Jack Charlton was keen to reward the players who had progressed through the qualifiers by taking them to the tournament, so Brady was left without a place in the squad.

Ultimately, the Islanders did not disappoint in Italy, even without their legend. They drew three times in the group stage and progressed from second place to the last 16, where they knocked out Romania on penalties. They failed to beat the home Squadra Azzura in the quarter-finals after a narrow 1-0 defeat. Maybe if Brady had been on the pitch, it would have been even better, though we're already skating on the thin ice of speculation...

Eric Cantona (France) - 1996 European Championship

Manchester United's cult hero and one of the greatest figures in Premier League history has not enjoyed as successful an international career. But it could have been very different. The legendary French striker Eric Cantona was already a star for the Red Devils for more than three years in 1996 and scored 19 goals in the season before the tournament in England. But the national coach prepared a shock for fans and pundits by not selecting him in the squad. His temperamental temperament was to blame for this.

Until January 1995, Cantona was a key playmaker for the French national team, and coach Aimé Jacquet actually named him captain of the national team in the 1996 European Championship qualifiers. However, after he attacked a Crystal Palace fan in the Premier League, he was stripped of the post. The English Football Association was very harsh about the incident. For nine months, Cantona was not allowed on the pitch; he also was fined 20,000 pounds and had to complete 120 hours of community service.

Zinedine Zidane took over his creative role in the team, and Cantona was never to play for the national team again. He missed out not only on qualifying for the semi-finals of the 1996 European Championships (where the Frenchman was beaten by the Czech team) but also on the World Cup title, which the French players won two summers later at the World Cup in France. Thus, Eric Cantona will forever be a part of the list of the best players never to win an international tournament.

Paul Gascoigne (England) - 1998 World Cup

One of the most talented English strikers the cradle of football has ever produced, Paul Gascoigne was one of the most talented players in the history of the game. A passionate player, he always left his heart and all his strength on the pitch, and those who saw him play in the 1990 World Cup in Italy or the 1996 European Championships will never forget his performances.

However, the 1998 World Cup in France was to be his last major tournament. At the time, Gascoigne was 31 years old and a mature and experienced footballer. He had significantly helped the English national team in the qualifiers, but his name was also linked in the tabloids with drinking, late night partying and training misconduct. Coach Glenn Hoddle finally decided not to take him to France.

"I've given him a lot of chances to find his feet. I told him more than six months before the tournament that he had to be fit, but he never got it together. It was the saddest decision I ever had to make. He just wasn't the right player for a major tournament anymore," Hoddle later explained.

Andrew Cole (England) - 1998 World Cup

Although Andrew Cole is the third-highest goalscorer in English Premier League history, he has only scored one goal in the national shirt. He could have scored more, but at a time when he was performing fantastically between the posts, he never made the squad for the 1998 World Cup in France. He scored 25 goals in 46 games in the season leading up to the tournament. Few could have guessed that his performances had not landed him a ticket across the Channel. Much to the surprise of pundits and fans, he remained at home and only watched the tournament on television.

Glenn Hoddle, England's national coach at the time, justified his decision not to take Cole to France by saying that he needed five chances per goal, which was not effective enough. Not surprisingly, both the player and Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson, with whom Cole was excelling at the time, were very upset.

And how did England do in the tournament? The usual. Having finished second in the group stage, the team's journey ended in the last 16, where they lost 2-2 on penalties to

. Still, the team of the time was probably the best England side since the 1966 championship, and perhaps the only name missing from that exploit was Andy Cole.

Antonio Cassano (Italy) - 2010 World Cup

Some may argue that the absence of Antonio Cassano from the Italian squad for the World Cup in South Africa was entirely understandable. The player was, after all, known for his fierce temper and his disagreements with teammates and coaches. Nevertheless, it was a big surprise that coach Marcello Lippi did not include his name in the squad for the tournament on the black continent. However, in the two seasons before the tournament, Cassano scored 26 goals and provided 28 assists in 78 games. Lippi, however, decided to keep the team calm and stable, relying mainly on the players who won the title in Germany in 2006.

The Italians were cruelly defeated in Africa in the end. In Group F, they finished last without a single win, behind Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand. Their team lacked the offensive creativity that Cassano would surely have brought. The Squadra Azzura was selected for the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine two years later, where they progressed to the final, only to lose to

.

David Beckham (Great Britain) - 2012 Summer Olympics

The icon of English football from the beginning of the millennium was widely expected to play his last major tournament in 2012. The summer Olympics were being held in London and, for once, Great Britain was putting together a joint team of players from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. David Beckham was to be their captain and leader. Indeed, he was supposed to be one of three players nominated who, according to the rules for Olympic tournaments, could be older than 23.

While Beckham was shortlisted, he failed to make coach Stuart Pierce's final selection, much to the surprise of the football world. The experienced veteran places were taken by Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards. They won their preliminary group but were defeated by

in their first match of the knockout round.

Landon Donovan (USA) - World Cup 2014

In 2014, a shocking "omission" was committed by Jürgen Klinsmann, the coach of the United States national team. He did not bring American football legend Landon Donovan, to Brazil for the World Cup. Even though Donovan could play a big part in the World Cup, the German coach said he had to make "the most difficult decision of his coaching career" and did not take the star striker to South America "for performance reasons".

Even without Donovan, the Americans progressed past the group stage, but it was Belgium who put the stopper on the young side in extra time of their thrilling round of 16 match. Who knows if the match would have ended differently had the United States had the experienced Los Angeles Galaxy star in the line-up.

Carlos Tevez (Argentina) - 2014 World Cup

Choosing a player for the Argentina national team's attacking line has been a challenge for every coach in the South American country over the past decade. There are so many top strikers, in fact, that they could put together three attacks. It is, therefore, obvious that someone might not fit into the nomination for the big tournament.

In 2014, coach Alejandro Sabella made the decision to nominate five players Gonzalo Higuaín, Lionel Messi, Rodrigo Palacio, Sergio Agüero and Ezequiel Lavezzi, for the World Cup in Brazil. To the surprise of fans and pundits, Carlos Tévez, who was named Juventus Turin's "Player of the Year" shortly before the tournament, for whom he scored twenty-one goals in the 2013/14 season and guided the team to the Italian championship title, was not in the squad. The coach's decision, however, did not change the quality and performance of the team at the tournament. Argentina reached the final, where they lost 1-0 to Germany after extra time.

Neymar (Brazil) - 2016 Copa América

This is a relatively fresh story. Perhaps one of the best footballers of our time, and the only Brazilian player to meet a tougher standard at the 2014 World Cup on home soil, missed the Copa América in the United States two years later. Neymar, who scored an impressive 31 goals in 49 games in all competitions in which he appeared during the 2015/16 season, however, did not take part in the tournament in the United States for coaching reasons. His then-employer - Barcelona - turned his head.

In 2016, the Catalan club decided that Neymar could only take part in one of two national competitions - he could choose between Copa America in the United States and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Neymar decided to go for the second option. Considering that the Brazilians surprisingly did not make it past the group stage in the Continental Championship, which cost coach Dunga his job, it is clear what a big loss Neymar's absence was for the national team. On the other hand, Brazil won gold medals at the Olympics thanks to the player's great performances.

Karim Benzema (France) - 2016 European Championship

Back in 2015, few doubted that Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema would be part of the French national team at the European Championships a year later. He scored 28 goals in 36 games in the 2015/16 season and went on to help the Real Madrid team to win the Champions League, the only problem being that coach Didier Deschamps did not call him into the squad for the European Championships despite his convincing performances.

The scandal surrounding Benzema influenced his decision. He was arrested in November 2015 for blackmailing his national teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

Adrien Rabiot (France) - 2018 World Cup

The French national coach Didier Deschamps caused a big surprise when he did not name Adrien Rabiot in the selection for the World Cup in Russia. At the time, the twenty-three-year-old central midfielder was one of the mainstays of

, but the experienced coach left him at home. Rabiot was so baffled that he asked the federation to remove him from the list of possible substitutes as well. As a result, he lost his World Cup title and belongs to the list of the best players never to win an international tournament.

Some experts say he lost his chance to be in the World Cup in a friendly match against

. That evening, Deschamps' players challenged the Russian national team, the host country of the future World Cup. Just over two months before the start of the competition. Rabiot (who was then playing for PSG) was in the starting line-up, alongside N'Golo Kanté and Paul Pogba.

He was positioned as a left-back, his preferred role. But he missed his game completely. Lacking inspiration, clumsy, not very combative, the Parisian delivered a very sad version of his game. The French team won 3-1 with a double from Kylian Mbappé and a free-kick from Paul Pogba. But clearly not thanks to him.

In a symbolic move, Blaise Matuidi replaced him in the 81st minute before providing Mbappé two minutes later for the breakthrough goal. The match also saw full-backs Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez celebrate their first start for Les Bleus. In the end, however, this evening may have cost Rabiot his place at the World Cup. It's not just a matter of the team's performance; it's also a matter of the team's performance in the World Cup. The rest is the stuff of legend, without Rabiot.

Mauro Icardi (Argentina) - 2018 World Cup

Even the calling card of Italy's Serie A top scorer failed to help Argentina's gunner Mauro Icardi reach the World Cup in Russia. In the 2017/18 league season, he scored 29 goals, but there was no place for him in Jorge Sampaoli's squad because of a huge offensive onslaught and a reportedly poor relationship with Lionel Messi.

He even had an interview about his chance to play in the World Cup some time before the Argentinian coach announced his list. "I try to do my best at my club; I've been trying to do it for five years. Whoever is in the best shape will go to the World Cup," Icardi explained in an interview with Olé. "Is it the right age to go to the World Cup? It can be: I'm 25 years old, I've been captain of Inter for three years. I've become part of the club's history, thanks to my goals. My dream is to go to the World Cup, and I have this conviction: if it's not now, it will be in the future".

Leroy Sané (Germany) - 2018 World Cup

Leroy Sané's absence from the 2018 World Cup was a shock. The

speedster was hardly in any doubt going into Russia. He developed into a key pillar of the team at the Emirates Stadium under coach Guardiola. During the 2017/18 season, he scored 14 goals and set up 19 others in 49 games in all competitions.

Although Leroy Sané had an outstanding season as a regular player for Manchester City (10 goals, 15 assists) and was even voted the best young player (PFA Young Player of the Year) in the English league, the 22-year-old failed to impress in the team.

In eleven international matches, he did not score a single goal. He only had one assist in the 5:1 World Cup qualifying win against

. Not enough when you compare his performances in the Premier League with those in the national team. The chance to convince Löw in the last match against

was not used by Sané. Was his confidence too high that he would be part of the World Cup squad anyway?

However, even his high productivity on the club level did not ensure him a place in the squad for the World Cup. National coach Joachim Löw was said to have blamed him for his poor defensive record. The Germans ended up finishing last in the group stage and went home in disgrace. The absence of Sané from the squad was then heavily criticised by journalists and fans. As a result, Leroy Sane is still a part of the list of the best players never to win an international tournament.

Sergio Ramos (Spain) – 2020 European Championship

The three-time European champions Spain started their 2020 European Championship journey against Sweden. However, Spain's record-breaking international Sergio Ramos was not part of the team which went to the European competition.

Sergio Ramos has won everything there is to win with the Spanish national team - the European Championship in 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010. The Real Madrid centre-back at the time captained the team for a long time. He was also Spain's record international with 180 caps and continued to play football at the highest level. So why did he not make it into Spain's European Championship squad?

Spain's national coach Luis Enrique had opted not to nominate Sergio Ramos for the 24-man European Championship squad. For the first time, La Furia Roja played in a major event without a single Real player in the squad. Enrique's decision was not entirely without reason, however. "It's tough, but Sergio hasn't played and hasn't trained," the coach said. The 35-year-old had a difficult 2020/21 season, only playing 21 games in total for the Madrid side. Multiple injuries and a covid infection meant he had to take a break several times.

The most recent injury before the European Championship was a torn tendon that caused him to miss the season finale. "It pains me that I can't help my team," Ramos wrote on Twitter, "but in this case, it's best that I recover."

Marco Asensio (Spain) – 2020 European Championship

Spain's coach Luis Enrique decided to do without Marco Asensio for the European Championship, which was scheduled to take place from 11 June to 11 July 2020. Nobody was surprised by the news of the absence of Real Madrid's Mallorcan player.

Marco Asensio, although he had not recovered his great level since the cruciate and meniscus tear he suffered in July 2019 and which kept him on the sidelines for a season, in the season leading to the Euro 2020, under Zidane, had once again become one of the important players in the Madrid squad, amassing 1,871 minutes with the

jersey, although he had not enjoyed great regularity.

Ever since he made his debut for Spain in September 2016 in a match against

, Asensio had always been a regular at Spain's training camps in Las Rozas and was one of the players who took part in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

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