World Cup: XI of best players to never play at tournament

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching as fans and players alike gear up for the global carnival.

With the Qatar showpiece set to be hosted in the latter weeks of the year, fans have been made to wait even longer than usual for football’s biggest party.

For northern-hemisphere fans in particular, the prospect of a winter World Cup will take some getting used to but, should their teams go deep in the cup, they may begin to care less and less.

The World Cup can absolutely make or break a player, with some of the greatest legends of our game using the tournament as the ultimate proving ground.

From Zinedine Zidane to Ronaldinho, Denis Bergkamp to Ronaldo Nazario, we have been truly blessed to see some spectacular footballers in action at the World Cup.

There are, however, some bona-fide superstars who, for one reason or another, have never taken part in FIFA’s global showpiece

From an extensive list, we’ve gone ahead and picked an XI made up from some of the best players to have watched the World Cup from a distance.

GK: Neville Southall

Described as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, Southall was part of Welsh team that failed to qualify for the World Cup during his playing days.

DEF: Chritian ChivuDEF: Sami HyypiaDEF: Lee Dixon

A very handy defensive line-up indeed.

Hyypia enjoys cult-hero status in Liverpool for good reason while the likes of Chivu – who won three Serie A titles and the Champions League – and Lee Dixon complete what would be a stubborn triumvirate.MID: Bernd SchusterMID: George WeahMID:George BestMID: David Ginola

With Ballon d’Or winners and near-mythical levels legends in the engine room, this midfield would be absolute envy of any side in the game.

Just imagine the likes of Best