World Cup 2018: Top 5 South Americans that will miss the tournament

To many top footballers, no honor can be compared to earning the opportunity to represent one's nation in the FIFA World Cup. Such is the importance of the tournament that every footballer dreams of participating in all editions they witness during their careers.

Nothing can also be as humiliating for a top player as missing the chance to take part in this great competition. This is why we see many footballers working hard and improving their game anytime the competition is around the corner.

The World Cup is almost here again, as 32 countries from various continents of the world prepare to battle it out in Russia. Many superstars are already packing their bags, departing their clubs and returning to their various continents in order to represent their respective nations in the prestigious tournament.

While we have many top superstars from South America heading to the World Cup, we also have others who will fail to make it into the competition due to several reasons. Therefore, let's look at the top 5 South American players who will not be featuring in the World Cup next month.

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#5 Anderson Souza (Talisca)

Talisca was not included in Brazil's squad for the tournament in Russia

Besiktas superstar, Anderson Souza (also known as Talisca) is one of the few superstars that will miss the World Cup despite their incredible performances during the 2017/2018 season. The Brazilian had a great campaign, bagging 20 goals and 7 assists in all competitions for the Turkish outfit.

Talisca, however, was not included in Tite's squad for the World Cup, with the manager picking Taison, Philippe Coutinho, Willian and Douglas Costa as his attacking midfield options. The attacking midfielder will be looking forward to continuing with his impressive form in order to get Tite's attention for future opportunities.

#4 Sergio Romero - Argentina

Sergio Romero suffered a terrible injury on May 22.

Manchester United goalkeeper, Sergio Romero is one of the superstars that will not be participating in the World Cup next month. Shortly after making it into the 23-man squad to represent his nation in the tournament, the superstar suffered a terrible knee injury (joint blockage in his right knee) that will keep him out of the competition.

It came as a bad news for Argentina. Romero has been a key figure for the Albiceleste, representing them in both the 2010 and 2014 editions of the tournament. The goalkeeper has 94 career appearances for the nation, the seventh-most in the team's history and most by a goalkeeper.

Romero has been replaced by Nahuel Guzman while Franco Armani and Wilfredo Caballero will be the other goalkeepers in the squad.

#3 David Luiz - Brazil

David Luiz will not feature in the World Cup this year

David Luiz was one of the most prominent figures in the Brazilan national team during the World Cup in 2014. The defender was at his peak then, playing influential roles as the hosts made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament that year.

It is quite unfortunate then, that the Brazilian will not be featuring in the prestigious competition next month after failing to make it into the squad this time around. Luiz had a terrible season at Chelsea after falling out with Antonio Conte at the Stamford Bridge. He didn't get enough time to perform, as the manager preferred to use Andreas Christensen in his stead.

The Brazilian had just 15 appearances for The Blues during the campaign, recording a poor 5 blocks, 46 clearances, 31 interceptions and 25 tackles in all competitions.

#2 Mauro Icardi - Argentina

Despite his incredible form at the moment, Icardi will not participate in the World Cup

Mauro Icardi was one of the deadliest attackers in Europe during the 2017/2018 campaign. The striker bagged an impressive 29 goals and 1 assist for Inter Milan in the Seria A, recording a brilliant ratio of 0.85 goals per game. He also had a decent conversion rate, scoring 29% of his total 101 shots in the Italian top flight.

Despite his incredible level of performance during the campaign, it was a big shock to many when the 25-year-old was left out of Argentina's World Cup squad. In fact, it came as a big surprise to a lot of people who expected to see the striker in the tournament next month.

Why Icardi was missing in the squad isn't clear yet, however, the only meaningful reason could be the level of competition in the team as Argentina have a lot of decent attackers in their ranks.

Still, Icardi arguably deserves to be on the list.

#1 Dani Alves

PSG superstar, Dani Alves will also sit at home next month

Despite being a 35-year old superstar, the Brazilian player Dani Alves is still one of the finest right-backs in the world at the moment. He won both the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France with Paris Saint Germain during the 2017/2018 campaign.

The defender has also been an influential figure for his national team for the past few years, featuring in both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup tournaments, however, Alves is one of the unexpected players that will miss the prestigious tournament when it kicks off next month.

The Brazilian limped out of the Coupe de France final with a knee injury and will not recover in time to make it to Russia. It came as a bad news to the Selecao who will need the PSG defender in the tournament due to his experience and immense talent.