All-Star XI of players who play in weak national teams

Follow us on Google Discover

Current Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid players make the cut.

Manchester United star Henrikh Mkhitaryan features in this XI

It must be frustrating for great players born into countries with little footballing pedigree. For the likes of George Weah and George Best, two all-time greats of the beautiful game, to never get the chance to exhibit their talents in a World Cup is a real shame. Here we look at some of the best current players playing in sub-par national teams.

Defining a ‘weak’ national team can be tricky, a little harsh and you run the risk of offending people… So to make things clear, any player who plays for a national team outside the top 20 of FIFA’s World Rankings and is head and shoulders above the rest or vast majority of his international teammates is eligible. The XI only includes currently active international players.

Jan Oblak

Between the sticks is Jan Oblak. Slovenia rank 56th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, and appear unlikely to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, currently sitting third in their qualifying group. Slovenia are not a nation entirely bereft of footballing talent, the likes of Josip Illicic and Jasmin Kurtic are decent players, but Oblak stands tally above the rest. The Atletico Madrid shot stopper has won the Zamora Trophy in both of his first full seasons in La Liga.

Antonio Valencia

Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia plays for Ecuador

At right-back is a man who has reinvented himself in recent years. Formerly a right winger, Antonio Valencia joined Manchester United from Wigan Athletic eight years ago, and has won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Europa League and the Community Shield since then. A superb athlete, Valencia’s national team Ecuador are ranked 25th by FIFA.

Stefan Savic

Montenegro are a very young national team, having played their first official game in just 2007, so their FIFA ranking of 52 is actually rather impressive, but that doesn’t change the fact one or two players stand way out above the rest. Stefan Savic is one of those. The former Manchester City man is now a teammate of Oblak’s at Atletico Madrid and played 49 games last season in the club’s highly-regarded defence.

David Alaba

Typically a left-back or midfield player, we’ve no doubts David Alaba could be a capable ball-playing centre-back in this team. Once again, Austria are by no means a poor team, boasting the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Julian Baumgartlinger in their squad, but Alaba is a class act. Capped 55 times by Austria and still aged only 24, Alaba has already been named Austrian Footballer of the Year six times.

Ali Adnan

Australia vs Iraq in World Cup 2018 Qualifier

‘The Iraqi Ian Harte’, a phrase I will never tire of hearing, is how someone once described Ali Adnan. The attacking left-sided full-back plays his club football in Serie A for Udinese and has won 49 caps for Iraq at the tender age of 23. He was named the Asian Young Footballer of the Year in 2013 and is certainly Iraq’s stand-out player.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

A man who plays for a genuinely rubbish national team, Henrikh Mkhitaryan proved himself to be one of the best players in the Bundesliga before a summer switch to Manchester United in 2016. The Armenian midfielder who can play wide right or through the middle is deputised on the right wing in this XI. ‘Mkhi’ was named Armenian Footballer of the Year in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and yes, you guessed it, Karlen Mkrtchyan pipped him in 2010.

Kevin Kampl

At the age of 26, talented central midfielder Kevin Kampl runs the risk of becoming something of a journeyman and failing to fully capitalise on his potential. The Bayer Leverkusen man is an international teammate of Jan Oblak’s with Slovenia, and the countries second most important player.

Naby Keita

The first African footballer to make this XI, Naby Keita is only 22, but has made a real impression with Bundesliga surprise package RB Leipzig this season. A capable midfielder with an excellent engine, Leipzig will do well to hang on to Keita, who plays his international football for Guinea, ranked 72nd by FIFA, with fellow Bundesliga player Ibrahima Traore probably the countries next top talent.

Son Heung-min

Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea star Son Heung-min

South Korea reached the semi-finals (thanks to some very suspect refereeing) in the 2002 World Cup, and some may object to them being classed as a weak national team, but they are currently ranked 43rd by FIFA and have recently lost to China and drawn against Syria and Iraq. Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min is undoubtedly the countries best player, and he was named as the Asian Footballer of the Year in 2015.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aged 27 and already the Gabon national teams all-time top scorer, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not only Gabon’s best current player, but almost certainly their finest ever. The former AC Milan and Saint-Etienne man was once known as a speed merchant, but is now one of Europe’s most dangerous forwards at Borussia Dortmund. The 2015 African Footballer of the Year has scored 120 goals in 189 games for Dortmund over the last four seasons.

Stevan Jovetic

Potentially an excellent foil for the more attack-minded Aubameyang, Stevan Jovetic is the second Montenegrin in this XI and the second who can list Manchester City among his list of former employers. Jovetic arrived in the Premier League having impressed with Fiorentina, but unfortunate injuries and stiff competition saw his game time limited. The 27-year-old is currently contracted to Inter Milan but spent the second half of last season on-loan at Sevilla.

Stevan Jovetic partners Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up front in our XI