Representing one’s country at an international tournament is perhaps the highest honour for any footballer; the World Cup and continental tournaments like the Euros and the Copa America represent the top echelons of the sport where every player wants to make his mark.
Elite footballers usually get the chance to ply their trade at the highest of stages only a few times in their short careers. As a result, players often rest themselves in inconsequential games leading up to the World Cup to reduce risk of injury which could mean disaster for their chances of going to a tournament.
Missing out on the World Cup or a continental tournament lays waste to the hard work and long hours in training put in over the years in order to make it to the level required. Unfortunately, some elite footballers suffer from the rotten luck of repeatedly missing out on international tournaments through injury or pure misfortune.
We list five players who have repeatedly suffered the heartbreak of missing out on major tournaments.
#1 Marco Reus
Marco Reus could probably be given the title of being the most gifted yet most unfortunate German footballer at the moment. Blessed with talent few wingers in world football can rival, there is arguably no one better than Reus at cutting in from the left wing and curling an unstoppable shot into the right corner with a flourish of his right foot. It is a sight most avid football fans have seen and cannot get enough of.
Inspite of this talent, the 27-year-old has been unfortunate to not represent Germany in an international tournament since his debut in Euro 2012. Scoring 20 goals for Borussia Dortmund in the 2015-16 season, Reus had to suffer the ignominy of being dropped from the German squad for the 2016 Euros due to injury concerns on his 27th birthday.
The 2014 World Cup was an even more unfortunate story. Selected in the 23-man squad and firmly in the German starting XI for Brazil, the then 25-year old injured his ankle in a routine 6-1 win against minnows Armenia in a pre-World Cup friendly. To add insult to injury, the Die Mannschaft went on to win the World Cup, defeating hosts Brazil 7-1 on the way, a contest Reus would have surely loved to be part of.
#2 Ilkay Gundogan
Another German on the list, Gundogan has also been a victim of rotten luck with injuries. While the loss of a Gundogan would rob many teams of their creator-in-chief in midfield, Germany fortunately possess a wealth of riches in that department that allows them to offset the loss of Gundogan’s repeated absences at the international level.
The Gelsenkirchen-born then Borussia Dortmund midfielder had played his way into the German starting XI (no mean feat considering the German midfield boasts the likes of Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos) in 2013 on the back of stellar performances for Borussia Dortmund.
The midfield maestro went down with a long-term back injury in August 2013 that ruled him out for the World Cup set to be played in June.
In 2016, Gundogan was set to play a starring role for Germany in the Euro’s after being in top form for Borussia Dortmund throughout the season. Misfortune struck again just ten days before Joachim Loew’s preliminary squad announcement for the Euro’s, as Gundogan dislocated his kneecap in training.
He was set to be out for months again and missed the Euro’s. The midfielder’s ill-luck with injuries continues as he broke cruciate ligaments in his knee while playing for Manchester City which has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
#3 Radamel Falcao
During his time with Atletico Madrid, Falcao was one the most feared strikers in world football. Acrobatic scissor kicks, volleys, deft finishes, headers, and poacher’s goals, Falcao had it all in his locker. He scored a remarkable nine goals for Colombia in the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup, single-handedly ensuring their qualification to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
In January 2014, Falcao suffered a severe ACL injury which threatened to rule him out of the upcoming FIFA spectacle he had worked so hard to make it to. Optimistic about his chances of taking part in the tournament, Falcao worked hard towards getting fit in time, even participating in the pre-World Cup training camp but had to pull out in the last minute as he felt it was not right to take up a place in the squad if he was not full fit.
Falcao’s international career suffered a further setback in 2016 as Jose Pekerman chose to leave him out of the squad for Copa America 2016 after Falcao’s alarming dip in performance post his comeback from injury.
On the positive side, ‘El Tigre’ was recalled to the side for Colombia’s attempt at qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. Considering the Colombian is now 30-years-old, it would in all likelihood be his last chance to grace a World Cup at the peak of his powers.
#4 Samir Nasri
In terms of talent and quality, the former Arsenal and Manchester City schemer would be a shoe-in for the France squad no questions asked. Where Nasri’s case does take a hit is his suspect attitude, which is not always up to what is required of a professional footballer.
Case in point, he recently explained that ‘good food and nice girls’ were one of the reasons for him to make the move from Manchester City to Sevilla. Not that good food and nice girls is not reason enough, but moving from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to Sevilla is definitely a downgrade in footballing terms.
Nasri, who was once dubbed the “New Zinedine Zidane”, missed the 2010 World Cup in spite of being an integral part of an Arsenal side which finished third in the league. Then French coach, Raymond Domenech dropped Nasri for reasons of consistency along with stalwarts like Patrick Viera and Karim Benzema. What turned out was a soap opera of a World Cup campaign where France were knocked out in the first round and made more news for an off the pitch player revolt rather than on pitch footballing reasons.
Nasri featured in the 2012 Euro’s, but was again controversy’s child as he abused a French journalist after France were knocked out of the tournament. The 2014 World Cup was another setback for the Frenchman as he was dropped from the squad due to his inconsistent form and not being an integral part of the French setup. He subsequently retired from international football.
#5 Franck Ribery
Franck Ribery first appeared in an international tournament for France in the 2006 World Cup and appeared in all their matches including the final against Germany. Known for his pace, energy and skill, the left winger made himself an integral part of the French setup. He was also part of the “imbeciles” of the 2010 French World Cup squad that revolted against Raymond Domenech.
In the lead up to the 2014 World Cup, Ribery suffered a back injury in March 2014 which was initially not deemed serious enough to rule him out of the World Cup. The true seriousness of the injury was uncovered later and it led Ribery to miss the 2014 edition of the World Cup, an event Ribery described as “death to the soul”. He later retired from international football.
Prior to Euro 2016, the Bayern Munich man gave indications he would come out of his self-imposed retirement if Didier Deschamps would select him for the continental tournament. The move found no favours with the national coach as the winger had only played 13 Bundesliga games for the Bavarians in the previous season.
