Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Benzema: the World Cup begins on Sunday in Qatar and the stars are already there. All? No, because between the injuries, the decisions of the coaches and the premature eliminations of several teams, some big names will be missing. Of Gianluigi Donnarumma to Erling Haaland through Paul Pogba or N’Golo Kanté, here is the team of those absent.
GOALKEEPER: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy/49 calls): Like his compatriots Marco Verratti and Jorginho, the Paris SG goalkeeper sank with the ‘Nazionale’ after the defeat against modest North Macedonia (1-0) in the playoffs . For the second time in a row, Italy was left out of the World Cup.
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RIGHT-BACK: Reece James (England/15 calls): “Wiped out,” wrote the young defender Chelsea on Twitter on November 9. On that date he officially withdrew from the world Cup due to a knee injury suffered in mid-October.
strong group
CENTRAL DEFENDERS: Sergio Ramos (Spain/180 calls) and Presnel Kimpembe (France/28 calls). Two world champions in the group of
missing. Spain has gotten used to doing without Ramos, who has not worn his country’s shirt since March 2021. Kimpembe, for his part, hoped to defend the title won by the ‘Bleus’ in 2018 until the end. He was even included in the list Initial of Didier Deschamps. But, not recovering from an Achilles tendon injury, he had to resign and leave his position to Alex Disasi.
LEFT SIDE: Ferland Mendy (France/9 calls). Holder in the Real Madrid, but little important for the ‘Bleus’. Ferland Mendy, 27, has never fully established himself in the French national team. This time, Deschamps preferred the two brothers Lucas and Theo Hernández. Lucas Digne (46 calls) suffered the same fate.
DEFENSIVE HALF: N’Golo Kante (France/53 calls). “Not having ‘NG’ is a factor to take into account, because of his energy and experience. He is such an endearing little man, always smiling. We will miss him,” Deschamps said. Kanté, the 2018 world champion, has had a difficult season with Chelsea. He has only played the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury and won’t return until 2023.
MIDDLE CENTERS: Thiago Alcántara (Spain/46 calls) and Paul Pogba (France/91 calls). Two of the most gifted midfielders in the world are missing. Thiago Alcántara, who has often shone for Liverpool, has not convinced Luis Enrique to make a place for him in a traditionally packed Spanish team in the midfield position. Pogba, for his part, has been left out of the tournament due to injuries to his knee and right thigh. Without him or Kanté, the midfield of the world champions will have to rebuild.
ATTACKERS: Mohammed Salah (Egypt/83 calls), Erling Haaland (Norway/23 calls) and Roberto Firmino (Brazil/55 calls). Egypt was left out of qualification for Qatar after a terrible tie against Senegal, who had already defeated them in the final of the last Africa Cup of Nations. Therefore, Salah will not be in the World Cup, while the Senegalese Mané will be in the tournament, although a recent injury with Bayern Munich has left his participation in doubt. Firmino, for his part, is paying for his low participation with Liverpool and, above all, the incredible offensive wealth of Brazil. Finally, Haaland failed to qualify for Norway, which has not participated in a World Cup since 1998.
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AFP
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