World Cup is considered one of the biggest events in the footballing timeline. There have been many big players trying to earn glory for their nation and get their hands on this prestigious World Cup.
However, not all have succeeded in doing so for their country. Even after trying very hard and going out of their limits their dream of bringing the cup to their home country has still remained just a dream.
There have been many great players who have done exceptionally well for their club and have made a big name for themselves but have failed to win a cup for their country. With the 2022 FIFA World Cup just around the corner let’s talk about some of these players and know more about 10 renowned players that have not won the World Cup.
10. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ac Milan’s number 11 and their star forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the most prolific players of the past two decades. His contribution to the game, club, and country are insane.
He has 510 total career goals for clubs in 862 matches. Zlatan plays in the national football team of Sweden and is one of their pillar players. He has played a total of 121 matches for his nation and scored 62 goals in them. However, even after this much Zlatan could never lift the trophy with his hands and his teammates.
9. Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona is one of the greatest players of all time. The former forward/ attacking midfielder Eric was famous for his incredible run with Manchester United where he played 143 matches and scored 64 goals.
Eric played for France’s national football team and scored 20 goals in his 45 appearances for the country. He has scored a total of 165 goals in the club formats and still wasn’t able to play the World Cup on a single occasion.
8. Ferenc Puskas
With a FIFA award named after himself, the legacy of Ferenc Puskas shall go unquestioned. He played over 629 matches for two clubs combined and had scored a total of 625 goals while at it.
He played the majority of his international career with the Hungarian national football team. Puskas was capped by the nation in 85 matches in which he managed to score a total of 84 goals. However, even after these exceptional stats and records, he was never able to bring the World Cup home.
7. Johan Cryuff
Cryuff was one of the greatest players in the 1960s and 70s. He was an exceptional forward who was also seen fitting in the attacking midfielder role on numerous occasions. He played the majority of his career for clubs Ajax and Barcelona.
His club matches total up to 713 in which he managed to score a tally of exactly 400 goals. Johan played for his country Netherlands in the international formats and played only 48 matches scoring 33 goals.
6. Michel Platini
6th President of UEFA, Michel Platini is one of the greatest players of all time. His achievement list is never-ending. He won the Balon d’Or award three times in a row in 1984, 1985, and 1986.
He has a staggering 312 goals in a total of 580 appearances in the club formats. Michel played for France in the international formats and was their top goalscorer for a long time. He has played 72 games for his country and scored 41 goals in total.
5. George Best
George Best is considered one of the greatest players of all time. He was an exceptional midfielder/ winger who with his skills and talent won multiple titles in his career. Best spend most of his senior career with the English club Manchester United.
He played 705 total matches for his club where he scored 251 goals in total. George played for the Northern Ireland national football team where he appeared in 37 international matches and scored 9 total goals.
4. Oliver Kahn
Bundesliga club Bayern Munich’s star goalkeeper for 14 years, Oliver Kahn helped Bayern win 8 Bundesliga titles in his career. It is always amazing to watch Oliver making impossible saves and showing incredible reflexes and athleticism.
Oliver Kahn has played over 780 matches with the clubs and won numerous Goalkeeper awards in his senior career. He played for Germany’s national football team in the international formats and has played over 86 matches for the nation. He was an integral part of the French squad that came 2nd in the 2002 FIFA World Cup but could never convert it into a World Cup win.
3. Alfredo Di Stefano
Stefano is one of the legendary players who have been imprinted in the history books for their incredible performance and statistics. Alfredo played for La Liga club Real Madrid for the majority of his career. He played a total of 396 matches for Madrid.
Alfredo scored 487 total goals in 669 matches in his club career. Stefano started his international career playing for the Argentina national football team. However, he was later seen playing for Spain where he played 31 total matches scoring 23 goals in total.
2. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi from Argentina is no doubt one of the greatest players of all time. His skills and talent set are unrivaled and make him the best player in the world. He has played over 855 club matches and is the individual with the highest-ever club goals of all time with around 700 goals in total.
He has an exceptional record in the international formats as well where he plays for the Argentine squad. He has played over 163 matches scoring 88 goals in total.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
The greatest player of all time and five-time Balon d’Or award winner, Cristiano Ronaldo has never won a single FIFA World Cup in his career. He has won numerous titles and honors but a World Cup win is definitely not one of them.
He has scored a total of 699 goals for clubs in a total of 943 matches. Ronaldo plays for the Portugal National football team and is their all-time leading goalscorer with 117 goals in 190 matches.
