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Every aspiring football player seeks to represent his country in some of the biggest tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, European Championships or the Copa America.
However, it so happens that despite enjoying fairly successful club careers, an international cap remains elusive for some players.
Five big-name players who never played international football
Among the current crop of players, Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte is one whose dazzling performances in club football haven't yet resulted in an international appearance.
The 26-year-old can consider himself unfortunate, as France have an embarrassment of riches at their disposal in virtually every area of the pitch. However, he has time on his side. In the event of an injury or unexpected loss of form from one of the first-team regulars, Laporte could be one of the first players to slot into the Les Bleus defence.
However, there have been other successful players who never received an opportunity to represent their teams in international football. Let's have a look at five such players in no particular order.
#5 Paolo Cannavaro (Italy)
Probably better known as Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro's brother Paolo Cannavaro was a fine player in his own right.
A centre-back by trade, much like his older brother Fabio, Paolo Cannavaro had a nearly two-decade-long club career, where he made most of his appearances for Napoli.
Paolo Cannavaro, a two-time Italian Cup winner with Napoli, was renowned for his aerial prowess, technical ability and versatility. The 39-year-old played a few youth games for Italy over the years but never made an appearance for the Azzurri first team.
At the end of his second stint at Napoli in 2014, Cannavaro said:
"“Do I have any regret or bitterness? No, there’s nothing like that."
He could have said as much about his international career too.
#4 Steve Bruce (England)
Steve Bruce was one of the most prolific goalscoring defenders in English club football. He was also among legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson's most astute signings at Manchester United.
Bruce played a crucial role in Manchester United's success in the early 90s, during which they won three Premier League titles, three FA Cup titles and one European Cup Winners' Cup, among other domestic and continental honours.
Bruce, who scored 51 goals in over 400 appearances for the club, scored a brace against Sheffield Wednesday that turned the 1992-93 title race in Manchester United's favour.
Despite his success in club football, the current Newcastle United manager never played for the Three Lions, with a solitary appearance for England B in 1987 being the closest he came to representing his country in international football.
#3 Stefan Klos (Germany)
During a glorious stint with Borussia Dortmund, Stefan Klos kept an impressive 114 clean sheets in over 300 appearances for the club.
A two-time Bundesliga winner, Klos started for Dortmund in their 3-1 win over Juventus in the 1997 Champions League final.
The 49-year-old later moved to Scottish giants Rangers, where he won 10 titles, including four Scottish League honours. Despite his glittering club resume, however, Klos never made an international appearance for Germany.
That was because Klos was unfortunate to play in the era of three of Germany's finest goalkeepers - Bodo Illgner, who won the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Andreas Koepke, who played a key role in Germany's 1996 European Championships triumph, and Olivier Kahn, who was the team's first-choice custodian in three major international tournaments.
#2 Maxi Lopez (Argentina)
A two-time La Liga and Champions League winner with Barcelona, Maxi Lopez has as good a club resume as they come. However, the Argentinian striker never managed to break into an Albiceleste team boasting the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez over the years.
The 36-year-old, who is currently playing for Serie C side Sambenedettese, is in the final few years of his club career and is unlikely to appear for Argentina before he hangs up his boots.
His talent has never been in doubt, but inconsistency has often been his bane, a reason why he has never received an international cap.
#1 Gabi (Spain)
A bonafide Atletico Madrid legend, Gabi, much like his compatriot Mikel Arteta, enjoyed a stellar club career but never played an international game for Spain.
The defensive midfielder, who endured relegation with Real Zaragoza in 2008, expectedly missed out on a place in Spain's victorious European Championships team that summer.
After lifting the La Liga title with Atletico Madrid and narrowly missing out on the Champions League six years later, Gabi merited a place in Spain's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, that was not to be, as international football remained elusive for the 37-year-old.
Thanks to his exploits in that campaign, Gabi found a place in the La Liga and Champions League teams of the season even as world champions Spain endured a humiliating group-stage exit in Brazil.
