Damilola
Football is the biggest sport in the World and the FIFA World Cup is the epitome of world football. Every four years, the top footballing nation gather to compete for football’s biggest showpiece and the ultimate bragging rights to be called “World Champions”
Unfortunately, not all the biggest names in football get to participate in this event due to various reasons. Most Popular players do not make it to the world cup, either because their countries did not qualify, or they were injured, or they simply were not called up.
Here, we curate the list of the biggest names missing from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and explain why they are missing.
- Kareem Benzema (France): The reigning Ballon d’Or winner is the biggest name on a long list of players to miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The French superstar was ruled out of the tournament at the last minute due to an injury.
- Reece James (England): England and Chelsea’s Superstar got injured in a Champions League game against AC Milan at the San Siro. Despite trying everything to get back to fitness, he was deemed a risk and not named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the World Cup. The Chelsea defender joins a long list of footballers from Chelsea on the list to miss the first World Cup in the Middle east.
- Mohammed Salah (Egypt): The Egyptian King is one of the biggest names in football and is a notable absentee from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Liverpool forward has significant ties with the Middle East which makes him an automatic fan favorite in Qatar. However, his country (Egypt) didn’t make it to the global event as they lost in the Africa playoff stage to African Champions Senegal.
- Sadio Mane (Senegal): The reigning African Player of the Year and the top 3 Ballon d’Or candidate is another notable name missing from the FIFA World Cup. The Senegalese icon and African champion will miss the opportunity to represent his country on the global stage.
- Paul Pogba (France): 2018 World Champion Paul Pogba is another big name on the list of superstars to miss the 2022 World Cup. The French superstar has been struggling with injuries all season and has not made any appearance for his new side Juventus this season.
- N’gola Kante (France): World Champion and football’s most-loved superstar N’golo Kante is going to miss the World Cup after inflating a hamstring injury and requiring surgery which puts him on the sideline for months.
- Marco Reus (Germany): one of the saddest stories in football is about Marco Reus and his continuous absence from international competitions due to injury. The Borrusia Dortmund captain will be absent from Qatar World Cup after picking up an injury a few weeks before the start of the tournament. This will be the third consecutive international competition he will be missing.
- Diogo Jota (Portugal): Diogo Jota picked up an ankle injury during a league game for Liverpool in October. Although he didn’t undergo surgery, his recovery period means he will be ruled out of the World Cup. Even though he will be missed by Portugal, the Ronaldo-led team has enough firepower to go far in Qatar.
- Timo Werner (Germany): Former Chelsea forward Timo Werner is another big name missing the World Cup in Qatar. The RB Leipzig attacker announced last month that he will be missing the World Cup after sustaining a knee injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the year.
- Erling Haaland (Norway): Erling Haaland is the most in-form player in Europe this season as the Manchester City forward seems to be scoring for fun. Unlike others on this list, Haaland won’t be participating in the 2022 World Cup because his country (Norway) didn’t qualify for the tournament. He joins a long list of superstars missing the biggest football event of the year.
Other notable players who didn’t make the World Cup due to various reasons include: Christopher Nkunku (injury during training with France), David De Gea (Not called up by Spain), Kepa Arrizabalaga (injury), and European Champion Italy (didn’t qualify) mention a few.
