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The recently concluded FIFA World cup saw football fans everywhere arguing over the inclusion of certain players in the squad as well as the omission of certain players. The exclusion of Diego Lopez and Dani Carvajal for Spain and the inclusion of Fred and Jo in the Brazil side were some of the talking points.With the new football season taking its first international break, here is a look at a list of players who have made their case for a call up to the national team, but have never represented their country.
#10 Lee Cattermole England
Cattermole doesn’t play for any of the Top 7 teams in the Premier League and that alone restricts his chances of making it to the Three Lions squad to an extent. Under Roy Hogdson, very few players have made the national team from outside the teams in the Top 7.
Following the retirements of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, and coupled with Hogdson’s reluctance to name Gareth Barry in the squad. It is a well-known fact that England need new options in midfield.
Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole can be a good option and the friendlies could have given him the perfect opportunity to try and show what he could do. The 26 year old has started the Premier League season brightly, with impressive performances against both Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion.
#9 Adrien Silva Portugal
Adrien Silva is a hardworking midfielder who possesses an eye for goal and was praised by the current Portugal manager Paulo Bento for his workrate. Silva was born in France and came through Sporting’s academy. He represented Portugal at the U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-21 levels, but has never been called up to the national team.
This wouldn’t be surprising if Portugal possessed one of the best midfields in football, but that is not the case. When players like Andre Gomes of Valencia get a call up on the back of a couple of good games, Adrien will be looking on with despair.
#8 Alex McCarthy - England
The English shot stopper rose to fame back in the 2012-13 season with Reading when he denied a strong Liverpool attack time and time again with some great saves. His performance was described as “fantastic” by his then manager Nigel Adkins and “absolutely staggering” by Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
McCarthy was once called up to the England squad, but did not make an appearance. Although Joe Hart has firmly established himself as England’s number 1, the Manchester City keeper’s errors that have led to goals have been questioned in the past. MCarthy has returned to the Premier League with QPR and some good performances for them can surely help him get drafted into the England squad.
#7 Jose Fonte - Portugal
The newly appointed Southampton captain, came through Sporting CP’s academy. Fonte was a late bloomer; he struggled to establish himself in Portugal and was loaned out to Crystal Palace while he was at Benifica. The Portuguese later made a permanent switch to the English side from where he moved to his present club Southampton in 2010. He has been a central figure in the heart of their defense since then and has continued to be so after the club’s promotion to the Premier League.
The 30 year old has never been considered for the national team, even though Portugal do not possess an extremely solid defense. When people like the 33 year old Ricardo Costa who plays for Qatari side Al-Sailiya are still considered, Fonte surely deserves a chance.
#6 Luiz Adriano - Brazil
Anyone who saw Brazil at the recently concluded World Cup will agree that they need strikers who can perform better than Fred and Jo. Their performances were so bad that the crowd booed them off the pitch several times. People like Robinho and Pato who were once considered prodigies have failed to live up to the hype.
This is where Luiz Adriano should come into the picture as the 27 year old has been the main man for Shakhtar Donetsk for several years now. Some might argue that playing in a smaller league has affected his chances, but one can counter that by pointing out that Bernard, who also plays for Shakhtar, was picked for the World Cup squad.
Last season Adriano scored 25 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions for the Ukranians, with 3 goals in 8 games in Europe. Given Brazil’s need for a striker, Adriano deserves a chance. The striker has also indicated that he would like to play for Ukraine since his chances with Brazil seem to be dead.
#5 Nathaniel Clyne - England
Why Roy Hogdson continues to ignore Clyne is a question on which one can have a long debate. England have plenty of options for the left back position like – Baines, Gibbs, Rose and Shaw, but they have players like- Glen Johsnon and Kyle Walker, who have been underperforming or are injured regularly contending for the right back slot. Often players like Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are the backup option for the right back position in the England squad.
When Hogdson recently named his squad for the friendlies against Norway and Switzerland, he picked three players who can play both as a right back and as a centre back, namely – Phil Jones, John Stones and Calum Chambers. He could have picked Clyne who has had a good start to the new Premier League season and even scored a goal against Liverpool.
#4 Gabi - Spain
The captain of the Spanish Champions surprisingly has never been capped at the full international level for Spain. Gabi had a very good season last time around and was a crucial player for the side that lifted the La Liga trophy and reached the final of the Champions League. All this and he didn’t even make his way into Vicente del Bosque’s plans for the World Cup.
One would expect Gabi to be selected now, after the retirement of Xabi Alonso and the long term injury to Javi Martinez, but the Spaniard’s door to the national team still looks firmly shut.
#3 Fernando Reges Brazil
Fernando Rege, nicknamed “The Octopus” for his ability to be everywhere on the pitch, completed a 12 million pound move to English Champions Manchester City this summer. Fernando has now taken Fernandinho’s starting role in the City squad and has impressed with two good performances already under his belt against Newcastle and Livepool.
He was part of the Brazilian team that won the U-20 Championships in 2007, but was given a one year ban from CONMEBOL competitions for assaulting a referee in the second round against Chile. Fernando has stated that his dream is to play for Brazil. Moving to Manchester City helped compatriot Fernandinho make the Brazil squad, and perhaps the same could happen with Fernando.
#2 Willy Caballero Argentina
When Argentina’s squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was announced, the biggest shock was that this man was once again ignored. Caballero’s breathtaking saves had saved Malaga points on many occasions. A keeper who can continuously frustrate Cristiano Ronaldo is not to be taken lightly.
Caballero followed Manuel Pellegrini to Manchester City where he is expected to provide tough competition to Joe Hart and maybe even replace him in goal. Argentina have had various managers come and go during the years when Caballero started to make a name and it’s baffling why none of them, including the newly appointed manager Gerardo Martino, have never selected the 32 year old.
#1 Roberto Firmino Brazil
The Samba boys have some very skillful attacking midfielders to choose from and most of them have to fight their way into the national team. The most recent notable call up was that of Liverpool’s Coutinho, who has been drafted into the squad following an impressive preseason. This can only make one wonder what Hoffenheim’s Roberto Firminho has to do to get a call up.
The 22 year old finished last season with 16 goals (4th highest in the league) and 12 assists (2nd highest in the league). This is more than what Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben achieved. Even Marco Reus could only manage the same number of goals and one assist more than Firmino. What makes these figures even more impressive is that he plays for a relatively weaker side than the above-mentioned players.
Brazil have had a change at the top, with Dunga taking over from Scolari, but Firmino still hasn’t had a change in fortunes and is definitely one who deserves a call-up.
