When World Cup is said, beautiful stories are told. We went through the teams participating in the World Cup in Qatar to find the players who could be present but are no longer professionals. Four profiles could play in the highest international competition without playing in a “professional” club.
The stars expected to play in the World Cup are obviously well-known. Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo and company. All of these names are already playing at a high international level even before joining their national team.
However, we also have the opposite extreme. There are also amateur or semi-professional soccer players who face the world’s great stars. When we took a look at the nations involved, four profiles caught our eye. At the moment, these are the only players in the amateur or semi-professional leagues.
Some will remember Chris Gunter. The right back was and still is the captain of Wales at 33 years old. After a spell in the Championship, he moved up to … the fourth tier of English football, League Two.
In fact, Gunter has signed for AFC Wimbledon, current 17th in the British D4. For all these reasons, his contribution to the dressing room is important and we should see him in the World Cup.
Saeid Ezatolahi is a 25-year-old defensive midfielder. At 1.90 meters tall, the Iranian international currently plays in the Danish second division, considered semi-professional, at Vejle BK.
After having played in Russia and Belgium, Ezatolahi now has 42 caps for Iran. His presence in Qatar seems almost assured.
Thomas Deng earned his first cap for Australia in 2018. Since then, the 25-year-old centre-back has been back in the spotlight for his country.
Deng plays in the Japanese second division with Albirex Niigata. However, he could still prove that he is worthy enough to wear Australia’s kit, possibly for the 2022 World Cup.
Daniel Afriyie has retained a prominent place in the Ghana rotation. The young left winger made his debut for the African country in June 2022. Since then, he has been called up again to be part of the national team in September, after a good performance at CHAN in January (3 goals).
He is the only member of the group to have played in the Ghanaian top division. It is a league that is still considered semi-professional today. However, Afriyie is the darling of fans hoping to see him in the World Cup roster.
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