Mohamed Salah has been one of the best players in the world this season. Erling Haaland is possibly the best soccer hope in the world. Gianluigi Donnarumma was voted player par excellence of the last Euro, last summer. And what more can we say about Zlatan Ibrahimovic? What is the connection between all these star players? None of them will take part in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The qualifications for the tournament are coming to an end and several leading players already know that they will miss this meeting in November and December.
Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Star Mohamed Salah’s missed penalty helped Egypt defeat Senegal in African qualifying and later footage showed him shielding himself from a hail of projectiles as he left the pitch. It was another sad day in his disappointing international career so far. Salah came to the 2018 World Cup with a shoulder injury and Egypt were knocked out in the group stage. He lost in the final of two African Cups of Nations – the last this year – and he will miss the next World Cup when he is at the top of his game. For now, the 29-year-old will have to settle for winning titles with Liverpool, a club with whom he could win four titles this season.
Erling Haaland (Norway)
Injured, Haaland was a helpless spectator in November, when Norway lost to the Netherlands in their last qualifying match to finish third in their group. Norway haven’t played at the World Cup since 1998 and Haaland looked set to help the country end that drought. The 21-year-old striker is as exciting as a Kylian Mbappé on the world stage and it remains to be seen if he will still line up for Borussia Dortmund when the World Cup begins, as he has become one of the most coveted players in Europe. He is Dortmund’s top scorer again this season, with 16 goals in 17 Bundesliga games, having missed several games through injury.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
Ibrahimovic came out of international retirement in 2021 to compete in the Euros. He eventually missed it through injury and couldn’t help Sweden qualify for the World Cup after coming on for the final 10 minutes in the loss to Poland, who were already leading 2- 0 in Sweden’s last playoff game. Ibrahimovic hadn’t returned to top form due to a recent injury, one of several that forced the 40-year-old star to miss part of AC Milan’s season. It looks like he will play another season in Milan but the Qatar World Cup was his last opportunity to play in this tournament.
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
Named Euro 2020 MVP after starring in the shootout against England, the Italian keeper also helped the Azzurri set a world record by not allowing a goal for 1,168 minutes. But, like the Italian outfit, his game has since declined, to the point of losing his club job after moving from AC Milan to Paris Saint-Germain. An error by Donnarumma led to PSG’s elimination against Real Madrid in the Champions League. The 23-year-old goalkeeper also came under fire for a late goal against North Macedonia, which spelled Italy’s end in World Cup qualifying for a second consecutive tournament.
Luis Diaz (Colombia)
The 25-year-old Liverpool winger replaced James Rodríguez as Colombia’s leading player and finished level with Lionel Messi in the Copa America scoring charts last year. However, he could not inspire his national team enough to qualify for the World Cup: Colombia finished sixth in the South American rankings.
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
Mahrez, a recent recipient of the African Player of the Year award, was part of the Algerian side that conceded a goal in Cameroon after four minutes of stoppage time on Tuesday, depriving the country of a World Cup appearance. The Manchester City winger will have to wait at least four years before participating in the World Cup again. He participated as a 23-year-old inexperienced player in 2014 in Brazil, starting in the opening XI against Belgium.
Jan Oblak (Slovenia)
For many, Oblak is the best goalkeeper in the world. These praises come particularly from his play in front of the Atlético Madrid net. Will he ever play in the World Cup? Slovenia participated in the 2010 edition. They missed the next meeting by finishing fourth in group A in qualifying. At 29, Oblak could still have two more opportunities to invite himself to the dance.