Best XI of players left out of the World Cup

There’s only so much room in World Cup squads, and that means that inevitably some major players get left out. It’s never a fun thing to see a favorite player go through, but at the same time you can assemble an awfully talented team from the so-called “leftovers” of the 32 teams in the World Cup. Would you be able to put together a team that can get out of the group stage? Maybe, maybe not, but for this year’s World Cup, you can put together a pretty dang talented starting lineup.

It’s harsh to see Ulreich on this list after he did so well for Bayern Munich for much of the season while deputizing for an injured Manuel Neuer, but his glaring mistake in the Champions League semifinal that hurt Bayern so badly may also have cost him a spot on Germany’s bench. With Neuer returning to health and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen doing so well for Barcelona, there was only one spot up for grabs, and after Ulreich’s error, that spot went to Kevin Trapp instead.

Sergi Roberto has become one of the finest right backs in Europe since making the switch from midfield for Barcelona two years ago, but Julen Lopetegui still couldn’t find a place for him in his squad thanks to Spain’s silly depth at many positions on the pitch. You’d think his ability to still play a box-to-box role in midfield at a high level would land him a utility spot on the bench, but sadly for him that didn’t turn out to be the case. His would-be national teammate Javi Martinez suffered a similar fate, with injury issues leaving his form a bit inconsistent, leading to him being left out despite being one of Spain’s steadiest hands at center back.

Aymeric Laporte could have been argued to be in line for a starting role for France after starring for Athletic Bilbao in the first half of the season, then not missing a beat after forcing his way into Manchester City’s lineup following his late-January transfer. But Didier Deschamps still couldn’t find a place for him in his squad, even with Laurent Koscielny out injured. Alex Sandro simply lost out to a numbers game, with Brazil manager Tite preferring the better-at-doing-the-same-things option of Marcelo and taking a backup who brings something different to the mix in Filipe Luis instead of Sandro.

Nainggolan’s exclusion from the Belgium squad is one that’s grabbed numerous headlines, as his long-standing tiff with Roberto Martinez has left the very talented AS Roma midfielder on the outside looking in for the Belgium squad, despite arguably being his country’s best central midfielder right now. His leadership and pure, versatile skill in midfield is immensely valuable, and the leadership aspect is something their squad sorely lacks without him.

The exclusions of Fabinho and Gotze are much more defensible — Brazil’s incredible defensive midfield depth re: Fabinho’s exclusion and Gotze’s shaky form the last couple of years are certainly reasonable explanations — but the fact that both were left out despite their incredible versatility is at least a little bit of a head-scratcher. Fabinho’s ability to play any deeper midfield role and even slide into defense at right back would carry a lot of utility value in a short-rest tournament like the World Cup. As for Gotze, he can and has played anywhere from attacking midfield up, including on the wings, which can be a valuable asset late in games or to help fill in injury-caused gaps in the lineup. Germany have a lot of talent, but such a versatile piece can easily go missed when you’re without it.

Icardi’s exclusion from the Argentina squad is second only to Nainggolan in terms of surprising exclusions, especially with the Inter Milan striker coming off three incredible seasons in Serie A. The reasons aren’t clear, with some saying he’s not part of the so-called “Lionel Messi Friends Club,” or that he’s had issues with Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli. Nothing has been confirmed, though, so for now it’s just a mystery.

“Issues with the manager” certainly describes why Karim Benzema isn’t going to Russia, as he’s said several times in the past couple of years that he’s all but certain that he will never be recalled to the France squad as long as Didier Deschamps is in charge. That said, his quality hold-up play would be an incredible asset to a French squad built in a way that screams out for it, but largely lacks it. As for Sane, he’s mostly a victim of Germany’s absolutely ludicrous attacking depth, though you could make an easy argument that he had a better season than several of the other German wingers brought into the squad.

Adrien Rabiot has become a fascinating case, having withdrawn himself from France’s reserve squad after feeling slighted by not making the 23-man group going to Russia. He’s very likely torpedoed his international career for now by doing so, especially with the incredibly hostile statement he put out about it when he made his decision. His frustrations are understandable to be sure — he gives the France squad a skillset in midfield that they largely lack that would be a great balancing influence — but his way of going about expressing those frustrations was lacking in quality decision-making.

Morata and Martial are interesting cases in that they didn’t have the best seasons, but both players have shown qualities off the bench and in clutch situations that they could still bring significant value to their national teams late in matches when they need a difference-maker. Leaving them out is certainly justifiable given their inconsistent form, but taking them with an eye on a different role would also made a lot of sense.