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The 2022 FIFA World Cup is set to kick off in less than two months from now and the participating countries have already begun the process of selecting squads.
While missing out on the squad is definitely not a good feeling, it is worse for players to be picked and then lose out on their berth due to injury. As of now, players like France's Paul Pogba and Uruguay's Ronald Araujo have suffered injuries and their participation at the World Cup is in serious danger.
The pain of missing out due to injury arguably gets worse if your nation goes on to win the World Cup. It’s a bittersweet feeling to see your country's team lift the prestigious trophy with the knowledge that you could have been there if not for the injury.
On that note, this list will take a look at one player from each of the last five World Champions who missed out on the triumph due to injury.
#1 Emerson (Brazil - 2002)
Emerson Ferreira was set to captain a Brazil squad filled with superstars like Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Unfortunately, the defensive midfielder suffered a serious injury in training with the national team just before their first match of the tournament.
In an informal session held mainly for the media, Emerson decided to joke around and go in goal. While attempting to pull off a diving save, he ended up dislocating his shoulder one day before the Selecao’s first game of the tournament (as per The Set Pieces).
Emerson was replaced in the Brazilian squad by Corinthians footballer Ricardinho.
Right-back Cafu took over the captain’s armband and led the side to glory as Emerson watched from the stands. While he went on to play for clubs like Juventus and Real Madrid, missing out on a World Cup triumph due to injury will surely have been heartache for him.
#2 Christian Vieri (Italy - 2006)
Christian Vieri already had a glowing international resume with Italy by the time the 2006 FIFA World Cup rolled around. He was the Azzuri’s joint-highest goalscorer in the tournament with nine goals across two editions (1998 and 2002).
Three months prior to the mega-event's start in June 2006, Vieri suffered a serious knee injury while playing for AS Monaco. While the then-33-year-old may not have been an automatic starter for Italy, he would surely have been part of the squad.
As per Italy Magazine, Azzuri manager Marcelo Lippi encouraged Vieri not to give up on a World Cup spot and keep working on his return, but it was not to be. AC Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi was chosen in the squad ahead of him as Italy went on to win the trophy.
Vieri, who never played for Italy again, stated that missing the 2006 World Cup was his biggest regret and said:
"In 2006, I missed the World Cup due to injury, so I couldn't watch any of Italy's games."
#3 Santi Cazorla (Spain - 2010)
Santi Cazorla was part of Spain’s golden generation that lifted three titles between 2008 and 2012. However, he missed out on La Roja’s first-ever World Cup triumph in 2010 due to a hernia.
The Villarreal CF midfielder was advised to undergo surgery but tried to put it off until after the quadriennial event. He then suffered a muscle tear in January 2010 while playing for the Yellow Submarine.
While on the sidelines due to this injury, his hernia worsened. Cazorla eventually had to go under the knife in February 2010 and could not recuperate in time for the prestigious tournament. He had to watch from home as Spain lifted the trophy without him.
Cazorla was back with La Roja by November that year and was part of the side that won the 2012 Euros.
Unfortunately, his worst injury layoff arrived a few years later when he suffered an ankle injury in October 2016 while playing for Arsenal. The injury, and subsequent complications, kept him out of action for over 600 days and he was told he would be lucky if he could walk again.
Cazorla made a triumphant return to football and even made a comeback to the national team in 2019.
#4 Marco Reus (2014 - Germany)
Marco Reus has sadly become the go-to example for the phrase ’injury-prone' in football.
The Borussia Dortmund winger missed out on Germany’s victorious 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign due to an ankle injury he suffered in a warm-up game.
What made things even more bitter was that he was one of Die Mannschaft’s best players in the qualifiers with eight goal involvements. Many believed he would start for his national team at the tournament if fit.
Less than a week before the World Cup was to kick off, a struggling Reus was taken off the pitch against Armenia at half-time. Germany won the warm-up game 6-1, a good sign of things to come, but it was overshadowed by the injury to one of their most vital players.
Manager Joachim Low chose to replace the forward with centre-back Shkodran Mustafi, indicating trust in Germany’s other attacking options.
Lowe's side eventually lifted the trophy and brought out Reus’ jersey during the celebrations as a tribute to their teammate. The forward, however, said he had gone to sleep and described missing out on the win as a ‘burst dream.’
#1 Laurent Koscielny (France - 2018)
Before the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Laurent Koscielny announced that he would be retiring after the tournament. Unfortunately, a lengthy injury layoff prevented him from making his final bow for France at the mega event.
With just over a month left for the World Cup to kick off, Arsenal faced Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals in May 2018. Gunners centre-back Koscielny went down writhing in pain early and was taken off after just 12 minutes on the clock.
He was diagnosed to have picked up an achilles tendon injury which required surgical intervention. This in turn meant he would miss at least six months of action.
Adil Rami was picked in place of Koscielny and Samuel Umtiti took up his starting spot at centre-back alongside Raphael Varane. Umtiti and Varane formed a defensively resolute combination as France lifted the World Cup with Koscielny recuperating back home.
The now-retired defender was personally invited to watch the final by President of France Emmanuel Macron. He has since gone on record to say that at times, he wanted Les Bleus to lose.
