Every aspiring football player seeks to represent his country in some of the biggest tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, European Championships or the Copa America.However, it so happens that despite enjoying fairly successful club careers, an international cap remains elusive for some players.Five big-name players who never played international footballAmong the current crop of players, Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte is one whose dazzling performances in club football haven't yet resulted in an international appearance.The 26-year-old can consider himself unfortunate, as France have an embarrassment of riches at their disposal in virtually every area of the pitch. However, he has time on his side. In the event of an injury or unexpected loss of form from one of the first-team regulars, Laporte could be one of the first players to slot into the Les Bleus defence.However, there have been other successful players who never received an opportunity to represent their teams in international football. Let's have a look at five such players in no particular order.#5 Paolo Cannavaro (Italy)Paolo CannavaroProbably better known as Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro's brother Paolo Cannavaro was a fine player in his own right.A centre-back by trade, much like his older brother Fabio, Paolo Cannavaro had a nearly two-decade-long club career, where he made most of his appearances for Napoli.28 - Roma are the team Paolo Cannavaro has faced the most in Serie A: 28 times. Farewell. #RomaSassuolo pic.twitter.com/Z3j3cqcgJX— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) December 30, 2017Paolo Cannavaro, a two-time Italian Cup winner with Napoli, was renowned for his aerial prowess, technical ability and versatility. The 39-year-old played a few youth games for Italy over the years but never made an appearance for the Azzurri first team.At the end of his second stint at Napoli in 2014, Cannavaro said:"“Do I have any regret or bitterness? No, there’s nothing like that."He could have said as much about his international career too.#4 Steve Bruce (England)Steve BruceSteve Bruce was one of the most prolific goalscoring defenders in English club football. He was also among legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson's most astute signings at Manchester United.Bruce played a crucial role in Manchester United's success in the early 90s, during which they won three Premier League titles, three FA Cup titles and one European Cup Winners' Cup, among other domestic and continental honours.Bruce, who scored 51 goals in over 400 appearances for the club, scored a brace against Sheffield Wednesday that turned the 1992-93 title race in Manchester United's favour.Happy birthday to United great, Steve Bruce! 🎉#MUFC @CasilleroDiablo pic.twitter.com/oC1jVHUy4s— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 31, 2020Despite his success in club football, the current Newcastle United manager never played for the Three Lions, with a solitary appearance for England B in 1987 being the closest he came to representing his country in international football.