The World Cup's Missing XI

Some of these players have done well for their clubs this season, only to miss out on a spot in their countries' World Cup squads due to a variety of reasons, while others like Gareth Bale will need more than just a stellar season at club level to play in football's showpiece tournament.

Here are the some of the biggest stars to miss Russia 2018.

Sven Ulreich (Germany)

Football can be a cruel and unforgiving place, especially if you’re a German goalkeeper.

Spare a thought for Bayern Munich’s Sven Ulreich. The 29-year-old had appeared a shoo-in for a place in Die Mannschaft’s squad as they prepare to defend their crown after deputising for an injured Manuel Neuer.

But, during one fateful night in May, Ulreich’s dream of Russia ultimately unravelled. A rare lapse in judgment undermined an entire eight-month audition as the Bavarians still won the Bundesliga at a canter following an early-season adversity even by their own high standards.

Sergi Roberto (Spain)

Competition for places is as fierce in Spain’s national side as it is for Barcelona.

Claiming the right-back role for his club should have made Sergi Roberto an automatic inclusion for La Furia Roja.

That Julen Lopetegui begs to differ still comes as little surprise.

He always found himself marginalised at international level, even after scoring during a competitive debut as part of his country’s 8-0 qualifying win over Liechtenstein.

Roberto’s form for Barca as they steamrolled to La Liga and added versatility merited a seat on the plane to Russia. 

But a solitary flashpoint may have sealed his fate. His sending-off in El Clasico carried a retrospective four-game ban. 

At least the 26-year-old will be able to enjoy an uninterrupted honeymoon, having only got married last month.

Somewhere en route to a season-long loan with Juventus, Hoewedes clearly flattened a black cat – how else do you explain such a luckless season for the defender?

Temporarily leaving Schalke was supposed to catapult the defender back into Joachim Loew’s plans with the reigning world champions but instead exposed his susceptibility to injuries.

Hoewedes made just three appearances for the Bianconeri, with five months between his first two. A permanent deal with the Serie A champions, who had an obligation to buy the player if he made 25 competitive appearances, appears as unlikely as his World Cup hopes.

His versatility across the defensive line would ordinarily have made him an asset for Germany.

Aymeric Laporte (France)

Eventually, France may come to rue their decision to continually pass up on Laporte.

Spain continue to wait in the wings for Manchester City’s record signing after his latest omission from Didier Deschamps’ squad, this time for the Finals in Russia.

Laurent Koscielny’s injury at the final hurdle of Arsenal’s Europa League run appeared to open the door for Laporte’s overdue foray into senior international football. 

He has represented his country until Under-21 level, but crucially has never made the final step with Les Bleus.

Deschamps’ folly is in danger of backfiring with the accomplished defender previously making no secret of Spain’s desire to enlist him to replenish their current ageing centre-back ranks.

Alex Sandro (Brazil)

Familiarity can be far more of a hindrance to a player than it is help – just ask Alex Sandro.

Juventus’ double-winning campaign would ordinarily have placed him in contention to make the grade as Brazil aim to avenge their humiliation on home soil four years previous.

The trouble for the left-back that he is too much like Marcelo in practically every way.

His Real Madrid counterpart may have been guilty of failings in the semi-final indignity against Germany but Tite still considers him a safer bet than Sandro due to his serial winning habits. Sometimes it really is simply a case of being better the devil you know.

Mario Goetze (Germany)

“Show the world you can be better than Messi” was the simple instruction for Goetze.

Joachim Loew’s immortal words now weighed down Germany’s World Cup winner.

Comparisons with the Barcelona talisman have dogged him the years since that ultimate high.

At 22, Goetze had the world at his feet but will be kicking his heels this summer. 

Injuries and inconsistency have taken their toll on the playmaker, with a return to boyhood club Borussia Dortmund failing to invigorate a career which has tailed off since that night at the Maracana.

Few anticipated that he would make the cut for Germany, or even be on the periphery, this time around. 

Even before Brazil, Goetze was symptomatic of having too much too young.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (England)

Reinvention should have delivered the ultimate rewards for Oxlade-Chamberlain.

He preferred to push himself into starting over with Liverpool instead of remaining typecast at Arsenal or staying in his relative comfort zone by joining Chelsea. It was just not meant to be.

Rotten luck with injuries restricted him at both the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, and cruel fate has denied him a starring role for club and country in their opportune moments.

Liverpool’s Champions League run arguably ended with Oxlade-Chamberlain’s loss early into their semi-final first leg win over Roma. In his absence, their midfield lacked its impetus.

England, too, will invariably suffer without the 24-year-old in Russia this summer.

Radja Nainggolan (Belgium)

No Belgian player epitomises their Red Devils nickname greater than Nainggolan.

Covered from neck to toe in tattoos, he smokes, drinks and swears; carries a dubious reputation for indiscipline and is a hell-raiser in general. Trouble never seems to be far away.

But the Roma midfielder’s absence is down to someone else’s obstinacy rather than his own.

Nainggolan and national coach Roberto Martinez have never seen eye-to-eye, so much so that the player featured in barely six minutes of Belgium’s successful qualifying campaign.

History repeated itself for the 30-year-old after he was also omitted from the previous World Cup by Martinez’s predecessor Marc Wilmots, who saw the error of his ways at Euro 2016.

Unsurprisingly, Nainggolan called time on his international career in the wake of his latest snub.

Gareth Bale (Wales)

Within 11 months, Bale has gone from tokenism to a bona fide trophy-winner.

A bit-part role in Real Madrid’s 12th Champions League triumph was a bitter pill to swallow in his native Cardiff but his match-winning display in last month's Champions League final has reaffirmed his quality.

The winger’s overhead kick which edged Los Blancos back ahead at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium was truly deserving of club football’s greatest stage but also merited a World Cup showcase.

Bale took centre stage as Wales made an unlikely surge to Euro 2016’s semi-finals but will instead spend this summer weighing up potential moves away from the Spanish capital.

Karim Benzema (France)

Like a lovesick teenager, Benzema continues to sit by his telephone; waiting for France’s call.

The trouble is that they are unlikely to reciprocate to the Real Madrid striker anytime soon.

A feud with Didier Deschamps is at the heart of Benzema’s international exile. He last featured for Les Blues in late 2015, before he was implicated in an alleged blackmail plot.

Benzema’s attempt to clear his name in the form of a self-promoting documentary fell on deaf ears with his national coach. Or maybe Deschamps does not have a Netflix subscription.

Mauro Icardi (Argentina)

Escaping Lionel Messi’s shadow has been only half the battle for Icardi this season.

Firing Inter Milan to their first Champions League campaign in over six seasons with 29 goals made his candidacy for a place in Argentina’s final 23-man squad a strong one.

He was the second highest-scoring Argentina in the European Golden Shoe, just five strikes shy of Messi’s winning 34-goal haul, but Jorge Sampaoli appears to have other ideas.

La Seleccion will boast a wealth of a fire power in Russia, with Messi flanked by some of his country’s most exciting players including Paul Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero.

Something had to give and unfortunately Icardi became the collateral damage.

Subs: Sergio Rico (Spain), Chris Smalling (England), Marcos Alonso (Spain), Shkodran Mustafi (Germany), Javi Martinez (Spain), Anthony Martial (France), Alvaro Morata (Spain), Leroy Sane (Germany)