Several nations have named their final 23-man squad for the upcoming World Cup 2018; and while the names that were called-up to represent their respective teams didn’t come as a surprise, there are still plenty of eye-popping omissions.
In fact, the World Cup snubs are too many that we can even create a team to field for the ultimate event in Russia!
So today, we pick our best “Starting XI” from the biggest names that are set to miss the FIFA 2018 affair.
Disclaimer: Our list doesn’t feature players who missed the cut or was removed from their teams due to injury.
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart (England)
Reputation be damned. Gareth Southgate doesn’t care about that after he left Joe Hart out of England’s World Cup squad.
While the 31-year-old struggled at West Ham—featuring less than 20 times this season—his omission from the list of the 23 players that will be sent to Russia still came as a surprise. After all, he played every minute of the Three Lions’ first nine World Cup Europe qualifiers.
Not to mention that Hart has played 75 times for England, while the likes of Nick Pope, Jack Butland and Jordan Pickford—Southgate’s chosen goalkeepers—have only nine caps between them.
Defenders: Sergi Roberto (Spain), David Luiz (Brazil), Alex Sandro (Brazil), Aymeric Laporte (France)
Sergi Roberto’s exclusion from Julen Lopetegui’s team mystified everyone, but not so more than Roberto himself. Roberto, who played 48 games this season, helped Barcelona win the La Liga title and was even selected to the UEFA Team of the Year.
However, with Spain boasting plenty of talented players, he was eventually left out despite being a starting quality full-back.
On the other hand, Brazil duo David Luiz and Alex Sandro are also out of the Selecao’s final team. While Luiz missing out was a bit expected given his struggles and falling out with boss Antonio Conte at Chelsea this season, Sandro’s snub was merely a case of playing style.
The Juventus left-back has the same role as Real Madrid star Marcelo, making him an expendable asset for Tite.
The 23-year-old Aymeric Laporte, meanwhile, was expected to be called-up by Didier Deschamps as a replacement for the injured Laurent Koscielny. He had represented the France national team at Under-17, U18, U19 and U21 level, so he was supposed to be an obvious choice for the senior squad.
Nonetheless, in the end, the Manchester City record signing didn’t make the cut.
Midfielders: Mario Gotze (Germany), Radja Nainggolan (Belgium), Renato Sanches (Portugal), Jack Wilshere (England)
Let this sink in: Mario Gotze, the man who scored the winning goal for Germany in the World Cup four years ago, won’t be in the plane to Russia.
Injuries hampered what was once a promising career for the German wunderkind. The 25-year-old battled myopathy—a muscle disorder that causes weight gain and fatigue—last year and was never the same again.
The injury, however, was only the final setback in Gotze’s career that went downward spiral since his Brazil heroics. In his last four seasons in the Bundesliga, he started just 67 league games and tallied only 15 goals and 10 assists. Well, at least he’s enjoying his time off from international duty.
Radja Naiggolan grabbed headlines recently after missing the Belgium squad. He was pivotal for Roma as the club finished third in Serie A and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, but his efforts were not enough to convince coach Roberto Martinez to include him to his “Golden Generation” lineup.
Renato Sanches, the Euro 2016 Player of the Tournament, was another surprising absentee. He was a key part of Portugal’s European Championship but hasn’t played well at Bayern Munich or at Swansea City this past campaign.
The same goes for Jack Wilshere. While he has not been at his best as well, the 26-year-old’s injury history might have caused Southgate some concern.
Forwards: Alvaro Morata (Spain), Mauro Icardi (Argentina)
Who would have thought that Alvaro Morata wouldn’t be joining Spain in their quest for a second FIFA World Cup trophy?
The Chelsea star was undoubtedly Spain’s most talented striker, but it’s hard to blame Lopetegui for the bold move. After a phenomenal start with Chelsea, Morata didn’t live up to expectations with his 11 Premier League goals in the 2017-18 campaign.
As proof of how surprising Morata’s exclusion is, Lopetegui acknowledged that the former Real Madrid forward “deserved to be” part of the team.
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Inter striker Mauro Icardi didn’t make it to Argentina’s World Cup crew as well, no thanks to La Albiceleste’s already strong frontline. Even for the Serie A top-scorer, it’s hard to fight for a spot against big-name players such as Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero.
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