5 best players who will not play in the 2018 World Cup
The World Cup is just around the corner. Russia is ready and waiting for the superstars of football to come and work their magic. Every player and every manager in the world is raring to go, to bring that prestigious trophy back to their country and make their nation proud.
After a long and gruelling qualifying campaign, we finally have the list of the teams who will be making the trip to Russia. While the qualification campaign ended happily for some, for others it was disastrous.
When teams like USA, Chile, Netherlands and Italy fail to qualify for a major competition, the biggest international tournament for that matter, you know that some top quality players will miss out.
Hence, we take a look at the 5 best players who will miss the World Cup in Russia.
#5 Arturo Vidal (Chile):
A loss to Brazil, combined with poor results in other matches, saw Chile fail to qualify for the latest edition of the World Cup in Russia. The playoff spot went to Peru too, as the golden generation of footballers in Chile tried, yet failed to get their country to the big event.
Arturo Vidal, the heavily tattoed midfield workhorse is a player who will be sorely missed at the summer showpiece. He is well known for his influential presence on the pitch. He has won 97 caps for Chile and was instrumental in their two Copa America victories, winning the 'Man of the Match' in the final in 2015.
Vidal posted some cryptic messages after Chile did not make it to the World Cup indicating that he would retire from international duty. However, he later posted a heartfelt message for the Chilean people expressing his disappointment and stating he would be available for future call-ups to the national squad.