There are some truly incredible players who have never played in a World Cup, including Britain’s most decorated footballer Ryan Giggs, Manchester United favourite Eric Cantona, Liverpool legend Ian Rush, and even a Ballon d’Or runner-up in the form of Bernd Schuster.
When I tell you those four world class players all miss out on our top seven, that should give some indication as to the calibre of player we’re talking about here.
Here are our 7 best footballers who never played in a World Cup:
7. Arsenio Erico
Paraguay aren’t nearly as decorated in international football as their near-neighbours Argentina or Brazil, but in Arsenio Erico, they have a player who can rival the finest the continent has ever produced. One of the stars of those Halcyon days of Argentinian football in the 1930’s and 40’s, Erico was an absolutely ruthless centre-forward who is best known for his 13 year association with the Buenos Aires club Independiente. The Argentine Primera Division’s ten highest scorers of all time is made up of nine Argentines and one Paraguayan, who sits at the top of that list, with 295 goals from 334 appearances. Paraguay qualified for the World Cup in 1930, when Erico was just 15, and then once more in 1950, when he was 35 and had just retired.
6. George Weah
Liberia’s president-elect and former football star George Weah controls the ball during a friendly football match between Weah All Stars team and Armed Forces of Liberia team on January…
The only African footballer to have won either the Ballon d’Or or the FIFA World Player of the Year award, George Weah was an outstanding talent. A fantastic dribbler of the ball who could turn a game on its head in seconds, Weah starred for Monaco, PSG and AC Milan at club level, where he won numerous league and cup titles. On the international stage, however, Weah could never emulate that success due to the quality of those around him. Liberia were a seriously limited outfit. The nation had never – and still hasn’t – qualified for a World Cup, meaning Weah is certainly among the finest of recent footballers to have never graced the tournament.
5. Duncan Edwards
Manchester United’s fallen star Duncan Edwards is always a terribly difficult player to assess in all time terms. Although he developed and made a big impression very early, he was still only 21 when he lost his life in the Munich air disaster, which is incredibly young. That means we almost certainly never saw the best of Edwards, yet he is still considered an all time great by those who shared a pitch with him. Edwards was a huge presence both on and off the pitch, despite his tender years, and he twinned his outstanding physical strength and power with an agile footballing brain. Edwards would certainly have played in multiple World Cup’s were it not for his premature passing, and many suspect he would have captained England in ‘66 rather than Bobby Moore.
4. Valentino Mazzola
Bizarrely, this seven features two consecutive players who lost their lives in plane crashes. Mazzola’s death, along with the rest of his fellow Torino stars, came about a decade earlier than the Munich air disaster in what is known as the Superga air disaster. Mazzola was 30 years old at the time, and had been deprived of the opportunity to play in a World Cup due to the Second World War. His international career began in 1942, and ended with his death in 1949, during which time there were no World Cup tournaments. A marvellous all-round footballer, you could play Mazzola just about anywhere and he’d be the best player on the pitch, such was his understanding of the game. Energetic, intelligent and a wonderful playmaker, whilst Valentino never played in a World Cup, his son Sandro reached the final in 1970.
3. George Best
Manchester United player George Best scores during a match against Northampton Town, UK, 7th February 1970.
An inevitable inclusion, I suspect most of you were expecting George Best to feature at some point in this seven. Best is undoubtedly one of the most naturally gifted footballers to have ever graced the British game, and his ability and audacity with a ball at his feet brought joy to millions. He had just about won it all on the club and individual front by the age of 23, but his international career was rather less illustrious. Best was someone who advocated a united Irish national team, and Northern Ireland failed to qualify in ‘66, ‘70 and ‘74. Best was still playing club football when Northern Ireland qualified for the World Cup in 1982, then aged 36, but by that point he hadn’t been playing at the highest level for almost a decade, and then Northern Ireland manager Billy Bingham couldn’t even justify taking him as a wildcard option.
2. Laszlo Kubala
Often described as Barcelona’s greatest ever player up until Lionel Messi came along, Laszlo Kubala was a tremendous Hungarian second striker. Kubala wasn’t the quickest, but he was technically superb and could strike a ball as well as anyone. He scored 194 goals in 280 games as a deep-lying forward at Barcelona, and was a major factor behind them moving to the enormous Camp Nou stadium. Kubala represented three different countries on the international stage, namely Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Spain, but still never featured in a major finals. He was included in Spain’s squad for the 1962 World Cup, but had to pull out due to injury.
1. Alfredo Di Stefano
ALFREDO DI STEFANO BACK HEELS MANCHESTER UNITED OUT OF THE EUROPEAN CUP AS REAL MADRID WENT ONTO WIN 6-1 AT OLD TRAFFORD. Mandatory Credit: Allsport Hulton
Undoubtedly the greatest footballer to have never graced international football’s most illustrious competition, you can count the number of better footballers than Di Stefano on one hand – and you should still have a couple of fingers left over.
An incredibly complete footballer, we often say Di Stefano had the goal scoring record of a poacher, yet his starting position was often more similar to that of a sweeper. Tremendously industrious and a real team player, Di Stefano was a technically superb dribbler of the ball with a supreme understanding of the game. His shots lacked venom, but they still found the back of the net nine times out of ten.
He starred for River Plate, Millonarios and Real Madrid, and twice won the Ballon d’Or during his time in Spain. Like Kubala, Di Stefano represented three different nations, and also like Kubala, he was selected for Spain’s 1962 World Cup squad but had to withdraw through injury.
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