The World Cup is the grandest stage in football. One which every player surely dreams of one day reaching in their career.
While most of the very best players in history have played at at least one World Cup, some have missed out on the highest international honour.
Let’s take a look at some of the unluckiest.
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Andrew Cole
Andrew Cole scored 187 Premier League goals and starred in Manchester United’s dream team of the 1990s. But his England career never really took off, with just one goal in 15 caps.
Part of the reason for Cole’s lack of opportunities was the formidable partnership formed between Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham. Particularly in Euro 96.
With England failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, France ’98 was Cole’s golden opportunity. But then-manager Glenn Hoddle wrongly claimed Cole needed “six or seven chances to score one”, putting paid to any hopes of a call-up.
Dimitar Berbatov
Another iconic Manchester United forward to miss out on the World Cup. Dimitar Berbatov’s absence had more to do with Bulgaria’s lowly international prowess than anything to do with his incredible talent.
Berbatov featured at just one major tournament during his 11-year international career, running out at Euro 2004. But he still managed to score a joint-record 48 goals in 78 caps for Bulgaria.
Jari Litmanen
Jari Litmanen played a record 137 times for Finland over a staggering 21 years. But none came at an international tournament with the Nordic nation not qualifying for one until Euro 2020.
The legendary forward did taste continental success at club level though, starring as Ajax won the 1995 Champions League.
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Neville Southall
One of several iconic Welsh players to miss out on playing in any international tournament, Neville Southall came closest in 1986 when only goal difference sent Scotland into the play-offs ahead of them.
His 92 caps at international level are accompanied by two league titles and an FA Cup with Everton, as well as the 1985 Football Writers’ Assocation Footballer of the Year award. He remains the only goalkeeper to ever win it.
Abedi Pele
The other Pele is widely regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time. But, unlike his famous namesake, Abedi Pele never made his mark at the World Cup.
Abedi Pele won African Football of the Year three times in a row between 1991 and 1993. But Ghana failed to qualify for the World Cup until 2006, long after the legendary attacking midfielder had retired. His two sons, Andre and Jordan Ayew, have made 16 World Cup appearances between them.
Liam Brady
One of two legendary Irish midfielders who have a claim to be the country’s greatest ever player, but who missed out on playing in an international tournament.
In Liam Brady’s case, it was incredibly bad luck with suspension ruling him out of Ireland’s first tournament at Euro 88. He then retired from international duty prior to the qualifying campaign for the 1990 World Cup.
He reversed the decision but Jack Charlton refused to pick anyone who had not been part of the qualification.
John Giles
Before Brady and Roy Keane, there was John Giles. Among the greatest players to ever play for both his country and Leeds United, the midfielder earned 59 caps over a 20-year period.
The last quarter of his international career saw Giles become player-manager, helping move Ireland in the right direction and handing a debut to Brady himself.
He paved the way for his former club teammate Charlton to take the Boys in Green to new heights.
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Ian Rush
Like Southall, as well as Mark Hughes, Ian Rush was part of a Welsh side that underachieved in the 1980s.
At the time, he was the most lethal marksman in European football, scoring a record 346 goals for Liverpool and winning every single club trophy possible.
Any international success eluded him, however, over a 16-year period.
Eric Cantona
The catalyst to Manchester United’s dominance of English football, Eric Cantona’s incredible success in red was not matched in the blue of France.
The mercurial and controversial forward played at Euro 1992 but that would be the pinnacle of his international career.
France’s failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup was then followed by Cantona’s kung-fu kick at Selhurst Park and subsequent eight-month ban. He never played for France again, replaced by Zinedine Zidane.
Gunner Nordahl
Gunner Nordahl is AC Milan’s record goalscorer with 221 goals and a record five-time winner of the Serie A top scorer award. He could just be the best Swedish player of all time.
His return of 43 goals in 33 caps is staggering but due to rules that didn’t allow professionals play for Sweden, the striker’s international career ended after his move to Italy.
As a result, he wasn’t eligible for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil where Sweden came third. What might have been?
George Weah
George Weah was the first African player to win both the Ballon d’Or and Fifa World Player of the Year awards – picking up both in 1995 after top-scoring the Champions League for AC Milan. He isn’t just arguably the best from the continent but one of the very best of his generation.
Weah’s brilliance was not matched by Liberia, who came closest to a first-ever qualification in 2002, missing out by just a point.
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Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs won every single honour in the club game, including a record 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues, in an incredible 24-year career that also saw him play a record 963 times for Manchester United.
Sadly, for him and Wales, that didn’t translate to the international stage where the long wait for qualification for a tournament continued. It was only broken after Giggs retired and Gareth Bale took up the baton.
Duncan Edwards
One of the great “What Ifs” in football history. Duncan Edwards’ life was tragically cut short in the 1958 Munich air disaster.
Just 21 at the time of his death, the midfielder was already among the best players in Europe, helping Man Utd to two league titles and winning 18 caps for England.
Alfredo Di Stefano
Arguably the greatest player in Real Madrid history. Alfredo Di Stefano was the key man in the iconic five-in-a-row team that dominated the early years of the European Cup, scoring in all of the finals.
His international career was less straightforward. Di Stefano’s native Argentina withdrew from the 1950 World Cup amid player strikes and failed to qualify in 1954.
Di Stefano switched allegiances to Spain after this but qualification was missed out on again four years later. In 1962, the icon was finally set to make his bow only to pick up an injury in the build up and be forced to sit out the whole tournament.
George Best
Arguably the greatest player to come from Britain and Ireland, George Best’s international career was a case of bad timing.
Northern Ireland qualified for the World Cup six years before his international debut in 1964 and five years after his retirement in 1976.
Things may have been different if Best had fewer off-field issues but they didn’t stop him scoring 179 goals for Man Utd in a glorious but short spell on top of the sport.