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The 2022 FIFA World Cup is only two months away and excitement will reach a fever pitch quite shortly. It is every footballer's dream to represent their nation at the World Cup. As such, players are all looking to make an impression in the last two months leading up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
We're heading into an international break and national teams have announced their squads. This will be the last international break before the 2022 FIFA World Cup and as such, it is widely considered to have an effect on player selections for the quadrennial tournament.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five top players who have been left out of their national team squads ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
(Honorable mentions: Mario Gotze, Donny van de Beek, Ben White, Ansu Fati)
#5 Mats Hummels (Germany)
Mats Hummels, who won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany, has been left out of the squad for the upcoming international break. He has been missing from the first-team setup for the past year after suffering knee problems since the Euros.
He has put in the hours in training this summer and was hoping to receive a call-up to the national team ahead of the World Cup. However, Matthias Ginter and young Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap have been selected over him.
However, the German national team coach Hansi Flick has not ruled out the possibility of Hummels making it to the German squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Following Dortmund's 2-1 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League, Flick said (via kicker):
“Everyone still has a chance to jump on the World Cup train.
“BVB delivered a great performance and defended superbly for 80 minutes. I especially liked Mats Hummels. He is in very good form and looks absolutely fit.”
#4 Sergio Ramos (Spain)
Sergio Ramos had a rather unfortunate start to life at his new club Paris Saint-Germain in the 2021-22 season. He missed 33 games for PSG last term due to various injury problems. However, Ramos is now enjoying a steady run of games for Paris Saint-Germain and has done a good job at the back for them so far.
He is a Spanish legend and a natural leader. Ramos is fully fit and his ball-playing abilities in addition to his tenacity will add an edge to Spain's backline. However, Luis Enrique does not seem convinced enough for now, although that could change at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
When asked about Ramos' exclusion from the squad, Enrique said (via MARCA)::
"It's great news to see Sergio Ramos after a year and a little. Now he competes and does it often and from there I can tell you what you want, but I think the best ones to play as central defenders are the central defenders that are here".
#3 Jadon Sancho (England)
Jadon Sancho did not exactly hit the ground running at Manchester United since joining the club in the summer of 2021 from Borussia Dortmund. But he grew into it in the second half of the season and has been one of United's most potent attackers this year.
Sancho has started the 2022-23 season on a promising note. The 22-year-old has scored three goals in eight appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils so far this season. Unfortunately for Sancho, England manager Gareth Southgate has decided to leave him out of the squad for this international break.
While England do have a rich attacking department, Sancho could easily be a difference maker for them with his skills and composure inside the final third.
#2 Gabriel Jesus (Brazil)
Gabriel Jesus hit the ground running at his new club Arsenal after leaving Manchester City this summer. The Brazilian striker has enjoyed a strong start to the season and as such, his omission from the national team squad has come as a surprise.
Tite insists that the door is still open for players who were excluded from the squad for this international break as far as the 2022 FIFA World Cup is concerned. In eight appearances across all competitions for Arsenal so far this term, Jesus has scored four goals and provided three assists.
Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino, Atletico Madrid's Matheus Cunha and Flamengo's Pedro have made the squad ahead of Jesus.
#1 Thiago Alcantara (Spain)
After picking up an injury at the start of the season, Thiago Alcantara only recently returned to action for Liverpool. That might perhaps be the reason why he was left out of Spain's squad for this international break.
Thiago has been an important player for Liverpool over the last year and his technical ability and game intelligence could be hugely vital for La Roja at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
But Spain have plenty of options in midfield like Sergio Busquets, Rodri, Pedri, Koke, Gavi, Carlos Soler and Marcos Llorente. But if Thiago can stay away from injuries over the next few weeks, he is likely to make a return to Spain's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup..
