5 players from qualified teams who will miss the 2018 World Cup
It is the dream of many footballers to represent their country. This dream is made even sweeter when they get to do so at the biggest showpiece in world football; the FIFA World Cup. In Russia, most of the players will get an opportunity to showcase their talent in the quest to achieve victory.
In the past, the dream of playing at the World Cup has been cut short for some due to an untimely injury just before the competition or failing to recover in time for the tournament. Top stars like Radamel Falcao (2014) and David Beckham (2010) are some notable players who could not shrug off nagging injuries and were subsequently omitted from their respective squads.
While some bask in the proud moment, there are those who will not make the trip to Russia due to injury or outright stiff competition for the limited squad slots. Some of these players are exceptional in their own right but quite simply did not make the cut.
#5 Radja Nainggolan
In the 2017-18 season, he scored six goals in 40 appearances across all competitions and was instrumental in Roma's historic elimination of Barcelona en-route to reaching the Champions League semi-finals. Roma also finished third in the league to qualify for next season's Champions League.
For the second time in under a year, he announced his retirement after not being selected by Martinez. The dynamic Roma midfielder was the shock omission when Belgium coach Roberto Martinez announced his preliminary 28-man squad on May 21, 2018. According to Martinez, Nainggolan was left out for tactical reasons despite a superb season with his club.