Well, the World Cup is now over. We witnessed 32 nations
competing for the ultimate prize that is determined in a matter of weeks. We discuss
the players who have won it and those who came up short. We also remember those
who were never fortunate to participate in this competition. This is my list of
superb players who never got a chance to play in the World Cup in my viewing
lifetime.
Neville Southall
Joaquín Beltrán
Sami Hyypiä
John Arne Riise
Ryan Giggs
Jari Litmanen
Frédéric Kanouté
Fabrizio Ravanelli
Without a doubt, players such as Kubala, Best, Di Stefano,
Schuster, Ian Rush, and even Matthew Le Tissier come to mind when it comes to
the list of excellent players to never appear in a World Cup. However, I was
not alive or watching football during their time, so my list consists of
players I was fortunate to see play.
Neville Southall
For the position of goalkeeper, former Wales goalkeeper Neville
Southall is the only superb goalkeeper that I can think of who never got play
in the World Cup. The Evertonian
goalkeeper was legendary for his club, especially during my first ever FA Cup
Final against Manchester United in 1995. But alas, being a member of Welsh
national team meant he would never play at a World Cup after appearing 92 times
for the Welsh from 1982 to 1997.
Joaquín Beltrán
Outside of Mexico, Joaquín Beltrán was an unknown player but
this Mexican defender was one of the best defenders inside Mexico. The former legendary
UNAM Pumas defender made over 350 appearances for the club from 1996 till 2006
and was a member of the UNAM team that won both 2004 Apertura and Clausura
titles. However, he was always snubbed for World Cup under different managers,
especially by Ricardo Lavolpe for the 2006 World Cup when Beltrán was at his
peak. He was capped 17 times between 1999 and 2007, and he retired in 2010 which
his best days were already behind him and he could not be a member of the 2010 Mexican
World Cup squad.
Sami Hyypiä
Another superb defender who never got to play in the World
Cup was the legendary Finnish Liverpool captain, Sami Hyypiä. He was
Liverpool’s captain during their amazing five trophies in 2002 and was a
starter in that magical 2004-2005 Champions League Finals victory against AC
Milan. Hyypiä made his debut for Finland in 1992 and would feature for the
Finland national team 105 times. Unfortunately, Finland never could qualify for
the World Cup and Hyypiä missed out on playing on the biggest stage in football.
John Arne Riise
Another legendary Liverpool defender, Norwegian John Arne
Riise and teammate of Sami Hyypiä also never got to enjoy playing in a World
Cup. He was also a starter of that magical 2004-2005 Champions League Finals
victory against AC Milan. Nonetheless, Arne Riise time with the national time
came after their glory days of the 90s when they qualified for World Cup 1994
and 1998. Norway hasn’t qualified for the World Cup since then which coincided
during Arne Riise’s 110 caps for the Norwegians.
Ryan Giggs
The Manchester United legend needs no introduction. A well
decorated player with the Red Devils, Giggs was one of the cornerstones for
manager Alex Ferguson that saw United become the biggest club during the 90s.
Giggs made his debut for Wales as a 17 year old in 1991 and would go on to
appear a total 64 times before his retirement from the national team in 2007.
He got to play against the best in England and Europe for United but could
never represent Wales at the World Cup. He is now tasked with the
responsibility of ensuring Wales qualify for the Euro Cup and World Cup as
their national team manager.
Eric Cantona
Another legend who needs no introduction, Eric “The King”
was a superb player for Manchester United but did not fare much luck as a
member of the French national team. He made his debut for “Les Bleus” in 1987,
a year after the French made it to the Semi-Finals of the 1986 World Cup.
However, Cantona was handed a one year ban for insulting then French national
team manager Henri Michel who would not last long at the helm after France
failed to qualify for the 1990 World Cup. Eventually, Cantona did get to
represent France at a major international tournament after France qualified for
Euro 92. Nonetheless, there would be heart break two years later when France
failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup after suffering a 2-1 loss to Bulgaria
in the final qualifying match. With France hosting the 1998 World Cup,
Cantona’s long wait to play in a World Cup was about to end. However, his
suspension after kung-fu kicking a Crystal Palace fan resulted in him losing
the captaincy to Zinedine Zidane, under new French manager Aimé Jacquet and not
be called up for Euro 96. Cantona would retire from football altogether in 1997
and would never feature for France again as Jacquet preferred to rely on Zidane
and other young players who would go on to win the 1998 World Cup.
Giovane Élber
Brazil has produced numerous strikers over the years and Giovane
Élber was one of the best Brazilian strikers of the late 90s and early 2000s to
play in Europe. Élber arrived to Europe as a teenager and came on the scene
after his move to Bayern Munich in 1997 where he would score 139 goals in all
competitions during six seasons. He was one of the stars as Bayern won the
2001-2002 UEFA Champions League. Élber got his first cap for Brazil in 1998, but
he would miss out on being called up for World Cup 1998 and 2002. His omission
in 2002 partially stemmed from not representing Brazil during Copa America 2001which
was being held in Colombia. Argentina had withdrawn from Copa America 2001 due
to the violence in Colombia and Bayern had refused to release Élber out of
security concerns. Luiz Felipe Scolari, still upset over certain players not
appearing for Brazil in Copa America 2001, snubbed Élber for Luizão and Edilson
as Brazil won the 2002 World Cup with Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho shining
in attack. Élber would not feature for Brazil again after 2001.
Jari Litmanen
The legendary Ajax Amsterdam player from Finland, Litmanen
also joins his Finnish teammate Sami Hyypiä in the unfortunate players to never
appear in a World Cup. The Ajax number 10 was one of the lynchpins that saw the
Amsterdam club win the Champions League in the mid-90s. Unfortunately, he could
not guide Finland to a World Cup. His first cap in 1989 and his final
appearance was in 2010. He amassed 137 appearances for his country and scored
32 goals along the way.
Frédéric Kanouté
Frédéric Kanouté might be considered a flop to some
regarding his time with Spurs but he was part of a historic Sevilla side that
won back to back UEFA Cup Finals in 2006 and 2007 under manager Juande Ramos. Fredi would also celebrate two Copa del Rey titles along with the UEFA Super Cup
for the Andalusian club while scoring 136 goals from 290 appearances over seven
seasons. Although he featured for the French U-21 team, he was never called up
by “Les Bleus” and opted to play for Mali, the birth country of his father,
back in 2004. He was joint top goal scorer for Mali at the 2004 African Cup of
Nations where they suffered defeat in the Semi-Finals to Morocco. He would
represent Mali for six years before retiring after the 2010 African Cup of
Nations. Fredi was capped 39 times and scored 23 goals during his time with the
Malian national team but the competitive nature of the Confederation of African
Football did not allow him to qualify with Mali to a World Cup.
Fabrizio Ravanelli
During the 90s, Italy had an abundance of weapons up front
such as Baggio, Zola, Vialli, Casiraghi, Del Piero, Inzaghi, and Vieri, so it’s
easy for fan favorite Fabrizio Ravanelli to be lost in the shuffle. Unlike all
those players, il Penna Bianca (The White Feather) was the only Italian player
not to feature in a World Cup. Ravanelli was part of the Juventus side that won
their second and last Champions League title in 1996 while scoring in the final
against Ajax Amsterdam. Before Barça’s MSN or Madrid’s BBC, we had Baggio, Ravanelli
and Vialli and then Del Piero, Ravanelli and Vialli as one of the exciting
attacking trios in Europe. He received his first cap in 1995 and he was called
up for Euro 96 after that Champions League final. Although he featured for
Italy in Euro 96, he left Italy and played for Middlesbrough and Marseille and was
ultimately omitted from the World Cup 1998. He never would play for Italy again
after 1998 with only 8 goals and 22 caps to his credit. His opportunity at
appearing in a World Cup was short lived and perhaps his chances would have
been better if he had remained with Juventus who would go on to appear in two
more Champions League Final, and lose both.
George Weah
George Weah is the only player on this list who is a Golden Ball Winner and a president of a nation. Before he was president of Liberia, Weah was one of the most dangerous strikers during the 90s and was named African Footballer of the Century in 1999. He moved from Liberia to France and played for Monaco and then Paris Saint-Germain before making the move to Milan. His performances during the 1994-1995 season saw him win the Ballon d'Or. Weah made his debut for Liberia in 1987 and would go on to represent his nation for over the next couple of decades. Unfortunately, Weah could not steer Liberia to a World Cup but managed to guide them to the African Cup of Nations in 1996 and 2002. Truly one of the greatest to never play in a World Cup.
