MO SALAH, EGYPT: He is one of the best players in the world but he won't be going to the Qatar World Cup in November. Salah's missed penalty contributed to Egypt’s shootout loss to Senegal in African qualifying. His international career has yet to yield any silverware. He went into the 2018 World Cup carrying a shoulder injury and wasn’t at his best as the Egyptians exited at the group stage. He has lost in the final of two African Cup of Nations tournaments, including in one this year, and now he won’t be at the World Cup taking place when he’s at the peak of his powers. For now, the 29-year-old will have to settle for winning titles with Liverpool.
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ERLING HAALAND, NORWAY: The Man City star was injured and could only watch from the sidelines last November as Norway lost to the Netherlands in their final qualifying match and finished third in the group. Norway last played in the World Cup in 1998 but Haaland’s goals had led his country to the brink of ending its lengthy wait. The 21-year-old striker has been in sensational form for City this season and would have been a real threat at the World Cup but sadly he won't be there.
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ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC, SWEDEN: He came out of international retirement last year with the aim of playing at the European Championship but missed out due to an injury and he also couldn’t help Sweden qualify for the World Cup after being brought on for the final 10 minutes of the playoff final defeat to Poland. The 40-year-old striker missed portions of the season at AC Milan too and the tournament in Qatar won't be the same without him.
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GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA, ITALY: Named player of Euro 2020 after starring in Italy’s penalty shootout in the final against England, the goalkeeper also helped the Azzurri set a world record of 1,168 minutes without conceding. But, just like the Italy team, he has since shown a marked decline since and has lost a regular playing spot at club level this season following a move from AC Milan to Paris Saint-Germain. An error from Donnarumma helped Real Madrid eliminate PSG from the Champions League last season and the 24-year-old keeper also drew plenty of criticism for North Macedonia’s late goal that saw Italy fail to qualify for the World Cup for a second straight time.
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LUIS DIAZ, COLOMBIA: The talented Liverpool winger has taken over from James Rodriguez as the standout for Colombia and was tied with Lionel Messi as the top scorer in the Copa America last year but the 25-year-old could not inspire his team to qualify for the World Cup who finished in sixth place in South American qualifying.
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RIYAD MAHREZ, ALEGERIA: The former African player of the year was part of the Algeria team that conceded in the fourth minute of stoppage time against Cameroon which lead them to miss out on qualification. The Manchester City winger will have to wait at least four years for another appearance at the World Cup.
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JAN OBLAK, SLOVENIA: Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, he has yet to play in a World Cup. Slovenia last reached the tournament in 2010 and missed out on Qatar after finishing fourth in their qualifying group. But at age 29, he still has a couple more chances left.
Image Credit: Reuters
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