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Football is a sport, with a schedule dominated by club football throughout the calendar year. In between, there are international breaks where players are obligated to represent their national team if called up.
It’s not easy balancing the two and it can get quite stressful and tiring to play so many games in a short space of time. Nevertheless, there are players who are able to keep up their levels of performance throughout that grueling period.
After all, it is a matter of pride to represent your country. But for these players, there was something holding them back and they didn't quite make their mark in international football
5) Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard is a Liverpool icon. The man would do anything for the team he loves so much. It’s a shame he never won a league title with his boyhood club, but he did enjoy Champions League success.
Gerrard made 504 appearances for the Reds scoring 120 times and is responsible for producing some of the most important goals in their history. But when it comes to the England national team we saw a very different Gerrard.
The swashbuckling midfielder played in four World Cups for England with the national team failing to impress in any of those tournaments. The team they had in that decade was termed as the Golden Generation, full of stars like Beckham, Scholes among others.
But for some reason, they disappointed their die hard fans almost every time. Gerrard was probably one of the biggest names in that squad, with a lot expected from the free-scoring midfielder but he only managed only 21 goals in 114 appearances.
4) Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure will go down as one of the best midfielders to have played in the Premier league. He had a decently successful career with Barcelona, but once Pep Guardiola arrived his future always looked in doubt.
He left for Manchester City in 2010, and became the heartbeat of that team. He managed to win two Premier League titles with a supremely talented squad and even won African player of the year on more than one occasion in that period.
His national team Ivory Coast also had a team full of superstars and were no doubt the best African nation for a while. But Toure failed to have the same influence in the national team as he did for City.
He made his debut in 2004, and since then he has made 100 appearances for the Orange/Green of Ivory Coast. But he could only manage 19 goals as Ivory coast only won the African Cup of Nations in six attempts.
It might considered a success, but considering the quality of the national team, they should have won more. Toure as their best player should have had more influence in that team, and it comes as a slight disappointment for his countrymen.
3) Luis Figo
Luis Figo is no doubt a legend at Real Madrid. Of Course, Barcelona fans might not feel the same way but he still put in very impressive performances for them. In fact, he won the FIFA world player of the year because of the performances for the Catalan giants.
During his time in Spain, he won the La Liga title twice with Real Madrid and twice with Barcelona. He also won two Copa Del Reys and two Spanish Super cups while he was at it. Even in Italy during the latter stages of his career, he managed to win 4 Serie A titles with Inter
Figo was no doubt a quality player even for his country. He played in one of the best sides in terms of quality in their history. But they haven’t managed a single international trophy.
Figo played 127 times for Portugal scoring 32 times which was an acceptable return for a player with his quality. Sadly, all those goals didn’t help his National team lift an international trophy.
He came very close once, in Euro 2004. That tournament was one of the worst ever witnessed but it also produced one of the biggest shocks in modern football. Portugal reached the finals of that tournament where they faced surprise finalists in Greece.
Figo and his men were favourites for that game, but Greece completely tore up the script. They won the final by the same scoreline they had won almost all of their games that tournament, 1-0.
It is a memory that will always haunt the winger, and something he probably regrets to this day.
2) Alessandro Del Piero
The name Del Piero is one of the first on any Juve fans lips when the word legend is associated with the club. The hitman put on the famed Black and White strip 705 times scoring 290 goals
His career spanned 23 years of which he spent 19 at Juve. HIs cabinet is stacked with trophies, which includes 5 Serie A titles, a UEFA Champions League and a Coppa Italia. He could have even more titles to his name if not for the Calciopoli.
But for all the goals he scored at domestic level he couldn’t replicate the same success at international level. He only made 91 appearances, scoring 27 times, a meager return when you consider his exploits wit Juve.
Italy did achieve international success, winning the FIFA World Cup in 2006, but Del Piero’s contribution in national colours is not satisfactory considering the status he holds in club football.
1) Gonzalo Higuain
There won’t be many who would disagree when they see Gonzalo HIguan’s name in this list. The striker has a reputation of blowing it on big occasions, which can be attributed to one of the reasons Argentina haven’t won a major tournament in a really really long time.
Lionel Messi has been criticized a lot for not winning more with the national team, but a lot of that is down to his team not being able to rely on their strike force. Sergio Aguero is probably another culprit but Higuain being given the responsibility of leading the line on most occasions should shoulder the blame.
In his 63 international appearances, he’s managed just 30 goals, a total he surpassed in a single season for Napoli last campaign. He has lost three major finals with Argentina, and was responsible for several misses in those tournaments.
In the 2014 World Cup final, Argentina could have won the game in normal time if Higuain had taken his chances. He was forgiven since it was only one occasion but once again he was guilty of missing several chances in both Copa finals since then.
For a player who scores more than 20 goals a season on a regular basis, a lot more is expected from the Argentine for his country.
