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The 2018 World Cup came to an end with a formidable French side getting the better of Croatia 4-2 in the final. It was one of the most memorable World Cups for many as there were a lot of thrilling matches, late equalizers/winners etc.
One of the major talking points of the recently-concluded 2018 World Cup is the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two all-time greats, failing to get their hands on the elusive trophy.
It's not just Ronaldo and Messi, there are a lot of great players who couldn't win the World Cup even once and the list includes former Ballon d'Or winner Luis Figo, Paolo Maldini etc. Not everyone can win the World Cup as it depends on team performance rather than individual brilliance.
Still, a few great players could have won the World Cup if they had chosen a different country to represent. Let us take a look at great players who were eligible to play for two countries and could have won the World Cup had they represented another country instead of the one they represented.
#5 Kevin-Prince Boateng
Kevin-Prince Boateng has been one of the most controversial figures in the history of Football. Born in Berlin, Germany, he was eligible to play for both Ghana and Germany in international Football.
In 2006, the Ghana Football Association were in contact with Boateng on him representing Ghana ahead of the 2006 World Cup. But the process under which FIFA had to decide on his eligibility would be long as Boateng was past the age under the old FIFA rules where old youth internationals could switch allegiance.
Later in 2009, FIFA decided to change the rules and gave Kevin the go-ahead to switch his allegiance to the African nation. It was in May 2010, Kevin's move to Ghana was officially completed and he was drafted into the national squad immediately for the 2010 World Cup. He was also a part of the2014 World Cup before he was sent back home mid-way through the tournament.
Like his brother Jerome Boateng, Kevin could have easily decided to represent the Germans. Had he done that, he could have easily got himself on the list of World Cup winners as Germany and Jerome won the World Cup in 2014.
#4 Oliver Neuville
Striker Oliver Neuville had a successful career with Die Mannschaft as he has represented the German national team on 69 occasions and has netted 10 goals in a career that started in 1998 and went all the way till 2008.
He was a part of the German squad in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup where he finished second and third respectively. He scored two goals in the World Cup (one each in both the editions).
He could have easily won the World Cup had he chosen a different international team to represent. He was eligible to represent both Germany and Italy, thanks to his German father and Italian mother. He eventually decided to represent his paternal country and finished his career with them.
#3 Thiago Motta
Thiago Motta had a fantastic club career as he won almost everything with FC Barcelona where he played for eight years before moving to Atletico Madrid, Genoa, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
But his international career wasn't as great as his club career as he played just 32 matches for Brazil and Italy in a career that spanned 16 years. After opting to play for Brazil, he played just two matches for the South Americans. And after an eight-year gap, he represented Italy, thanks to his great grand father's Italian roots.
Had he chosen to represent Italy instead of Brazil at the start of his career, he could have had a much more successful international career as he could have easily been a part of the Italian side for the 2006 World Cup, which was won by Italy.
#2 Mario Gomez
German striker Mario Gomez, who made his debut for the national team in 2007, played in two different World Cups but failed to win the tournament even once. His first World Cup came in 2010 in South Africa where the Germans lost to the eventual champions Spain in the semi-final.
He missed the tournament in 2014 after he a majority of the 2013–14 season due to a knee injury. Unfortunately for him, the Germans went all the way and came back home with the elusive World Cup trophy.
He was also a part of the recently concluded 2018 World Cup and was knocked out of the group stage. In total, none of his 31 goals for Germany came in the World Cup. If not for an injury, he could have won the World Cup in 2014. He could have become a World Champion in 2010 if he had chosen Spain as his nationality as he has a dual citizenship.
#1 Lionel Messi
The most prominent name on the list is arguably the greatest player of all-time, Lionel Messi. Messi, who has accomplished everything he can in club football with Barcelona, couldn't replicate his success in the international scene as he failed to win a single tournament with Argentina in spite of scoring 65 goals for them.
Any team would have loved to have a player like Messi in their side but the 31-year-old represented the country of his birth, Argentina, instead of Spain. Since he held a Spanish passport, he was eligible to play for the European side but Argentina hosted a couple of friendly matches with Messi featuring in those matches right in time before he got the Spanish citizenship.
Since Messi represented Argentina in a competitive match at youth level, he became ineligible to play for Spain. Just imagine Messi playing for Spain, he could have easily played the 2010 World Cup for them and lifted the trophy.
