Russia 2018 World Cup - The Talented World Eleven That Will Miss It
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SteemSports Editor/Writer: @writingamigo
Road to Russia 2018 World Cup
• 23 countries have qualified for the tournament.
• 9 slots are still available via the playoffs to complete the 32 teams featuring at the event.
• Brazil became the first nation to qualify for the showpiece, since March 28th, besides host nation Russia.
• Belgium became the first European country to qualify on Sept 3rd.
• Nigeria became the first African nation to qualify for Russia 2018, on Oct 7th.
The biggest and most lucrative footballing spectacle is the FIFA World Cup. Players, coaches, and nations pride themselves in qualifying for the event through tight and rigorous qualification series. The best of the best that are able to fight through the various qualification hurdles eventually get to have their flags hoisted at the event.
Now while players from various professional clubs around the world would gather to represent their nations and try to claim the ultimate price, some world and global football stars will have to miss out on the global showpiece in Russia 2018.
1.) Jan Oblak
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Atletico Madrid | Slovenia |
The best goal keeper in the La Liga in the past two years, Jan Oblak (24 years old) will miss the 2018 summer showpiece, as his country, Slovenia failed to qualify from the European Group F, won by England.
2.) Antonio Valencia
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Wingback/Defender | Manchester United | Ecuador |
Impressive displays at right-back for Manchester United led to Antonio Valencia being crowned the players’ player of the year title at Manchester United last season. However, the Ecuadorian who is 32 years old will not be appearing at his third World Cup, as he couldn’t help his country qualify.
3.) Virgil Van Dijk
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Defender | Southampton | Netherlands |
Despite a long and protracted summer transfer involving Van Dijk and his club Southampton, he eventually remained with the side. He will, however, miss next summer’s World Cup, after Netherlands could only manage a third-place finish in Group A of the European qualifiers.
4.) Gary Medel
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Defender/Midfielder | Besiktas | Chile |
The influential midfielder for both club and country will miss the Russia 2018 tournament, as he was unable to help his team claim a qualification spot from the South American qualifying region. Gary Medel’s Chile were equally edged out of the playoff spot by the Peru national team.
5.) David Alaba
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Defender/Midfielder | Bayern Munich | Austria |
A brilliant utility player for both Bayern Munich and Austria, David Alaba will not feature for his country in Russia 2018, as they failed to qualify due to an unimpressive qualifying campaign.
6.) Naby Keita
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Midfielder | RB Leipzig | Guinea |
Caught in the middle of a dramatic tussle during the last summer transfer window, Naby Keita, eventually signed partially for Liverpool, and he will be moving to the Anfield side next summer. He will arrive fresh at Anfield as he will miss the Russia 2018 World Cup.
7.) Arturo Vidal
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Midfielder | Bayern Munich | Chile |
The highly energetic Chilean midfielder appeared in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. He was, however, unavailable for his country in their final qualifier against group leaders Brazil due to a suspension. He watched powerlessly as his country, Chile was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup holding in Russia.
8.) Gareth Bale
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Midfielder/Forward | Real Madrid | Wales |
The underachieving Welsh side has had quite a few positive years, in recent times. They were finalists in the 2016 Euro tournament but were unable to make it to Russia 2018, as they were edged out of the playoff spot by a more determined Republic of Ireland side. Unfortunately, Gareth Bale’s quest for a World Cup debut continues.
9.) Arjen Robben
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Midfielder | Bayern Munich | Netherlands |
The very skillful and talented Robben who has made three World Cup appearances, and scored twice in their final group game against Sweden, announced his retirement from international football following a poor and dismal qualifying campaign towards Russia 2018.
10.) Alexis Sanchez
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | Arsenal | Chile |
Reigning Copa America champions, Chile, were knocked out of a playoff spot after they lost 3 nil to Brazil, and Peru equalized against Columbia in a 1 – 1 draw. The result provided a heartbreak for Chileans and especially star forward Alexis Sanchez, who was hoping to compete against the world’s best in Russia, come 2018.
11.) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
| Position | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | Borussia Dortmund | Gabon |
Gabon who has never made an appearance at the World Cup was hoping to achieve this goal with talents of start man, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, a shortage of top players from the Central African side means that the exceptional forward will not have a chance to shine on the world stage in 2018.
Image Sources:
www.goal.com
www.dailymail.co.uk
www.espnfc.com
www.skysports.com
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.metro.co.uk
www.dailystar.co.uk
www.talksport.com
