Since 1930, the FIFA World Cup has been the most prestigious tournament not only in world football but arguably in all of sports.
There have been legends born in these World Cups, and there have been legendary teams that are still talked about today for their heroics on football’s greatest stage.
However, there have been many great players who have made a great impact with their clubs and their countries but were never able to participate on football’s greatest stage.
With barely about 28 days days to the kick-off of Brazil 2014 on June 12, here is a list of 10 great footballers who never participated in the FIFA World Cup.
1. George Best (Northern Ireland)
The incomparable Best played only 37 times for Northern Ireland and scored an unimpressive 10 international goals, but won two league titles and the European Cup with his beloved Manchester United while lighting up British football like no other before or since. Voted European player of the year in 1968 after helping United lift the European Cup, Best was the complete footballer.
The man the Spanish media lauded ‘El Beatle’ after running Real Madrid ragged at the Bernabeu Stadium in the semi-finals of the European Cup, had supreme balance, the dribbling skills of Stanley Matthews on fast-forward and two magical feet. Pele once named Best the greatest and who could argue?
2. Alfredo di Stéfano (Argentina, Columbia, Spain)
Di Stefano won five consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid and was twice voted European footballer of the year, in 1957 and 1959. In terms of longevity he outshines them all and won international honours with three different nations, Argentina, where he was born, Colombia and Spain.
In 1950, while still playing in Argentina, his country refused to enter the World Cup and by 1954 Di Stefano had arrived in Spain, via Colombia, where he was first considered ineligible.
He qualified to play for Spain at the age of 31 in 1957, but the Spaniards failed to qualify for the World Cup finals in 1958 and when he finally got his chance in 1962 he was injured. In Latin America, those who saw the Blond Arrow play say he was better than Pele. Di Stéfano had six goals in six matches for Argentina, no goals in four matches for Columbia, and 23 goals in 31 matches for Spain.
3. Duncan Edwards (England)
Edwards was destined to become the greatest British player of them all before tragically losing his life in the 1958 Munich air disaster. Edwards was aged 21 when he died, but had already played for England 18 times and won two English league titles with Manchester United in 1956 and 1957.
Former Scotland international and Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty once said: “You can keep all your Best’s, Pele’s and Maradona’s, Duncan Edwards was the greatest of them all.” Sir Bobby Charlton, World Cup winner with England in 1966 and a former team-mate at Old Trafford, said of the wing-half: “Duncan Edwards was the only player that ever made me feel inferior.”
4. Ryan Giggs (Wales)
The World Cup in Brazil will again be missing the supreme talent of Giggs. The Manchester United winger has won pretty much everything there is to win at club level, having spent his entire career at Old Trafford.
He holds the record for the most United appearances and fittingly reached the milestone on the night he won his second European Cup – United’s third – against Chelsea in Moscow. He was named the PFA’s Players’ Player of the Year award in 2009 yet Wales’ failure to qualify for a World Cup, or even a European Championship, has deprived him of the chance to really shine on the international stage.
5. George Weah (Liberia)
The explosive Liberian caused a sensation when bursting onto the scene in France with Monaco and Paris St Germain before truly setting the world alight in Italy with AC Milan. Weah was the first African footballer to be voted World player of the year in 1995, was three times African player of the year – in 1989, 1994 and 1995 – and filled the chasm left by Marco van Basten at Milan with aplomb. Weah was all strength, power and agility, scoring spectacular goals out of nothing to help Milan win two Scudetto titles in 1995 and 1999.
6. Eric Cantona (France)
Considering the success that Manchester United and France both enjoyed during the 1990s, it seems incredible that Cantona’s talent was never seen on the greatest stage.
France failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1990 and 1994 and, with Zinedine Zidane having taken his role in the team during his suspension in 1995; he never played for his country again on his return to the game and missed their 1998 triumph on home soil.
At club level, Cantona won seven domestic titles with Marseille, Leeds and more famously Manchester United and his success in the English game was recognised in 1994 when he was named as the PFA’s Players’ Player of the Year.
7. Ian Rush (Wales)
Just like Ryan Giggs, Rush enjoyed huge success at club level but his talents alone were not enough to take Wales to a major finals. The prolific striker scored 28 goals in 73 appearances for his country and came close to helping Wales qualify but at least had huge success with Liverpool to make up for the disappointment. He was a European Cup winner in both 1981 and 1984 to add to his five league titles, and his incredible tally of 346 goals for the Reds is a club record which will take some beating.
8. Bernd Schuster (Germany)
Schuster helped West Germany win the 1980 European Championship where he was voted as the second best player at the tournament but his repeated disputes with the German FA prompted him to retire from international football aged just 24, having won 22 caps, and therefore miss out on a World Cup.
Nicknamed the Blond Angel, the midfielder won the Spanish league title with both Barcelona and Real Madrid and helped the former reach the 1986 European Cup final where Steaua Bucharest beat them on penalties.
9. Abedi Pele (Ghana)
The three-time African footballer of the year spent most of his club career in France. He was the first player from the continent to win the UEFA Champions League having won the trophy with French club Marseille in 1993. He got continental success with Ghana but could never take them to the World Cup as the Black Stars failed to qualify for any edition during his 16-year-old international career.
10. Mohamed Aboutrika (Egypt)
One of the greatest footballers in Egyptian history, Mohamed Aboutrika, sadly, has never been able to play in a World Cup despite being the best footballer to currently play in Africa.
During his career, Aboutrika has helped Egypt to win the African Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2008 and also led Egypt to become the first African side to beat Italy in the 2009 Confederations Cup with an assist to Mohamed Soliman. But Aboutrika wasn’t able to help Egypt get to the World Cup after a loss against Algeria in their final World Cup qualifier. Overall, Aboutrika has scored 24 goals for the Egyptian National team.
Anthony Nlebem
