hero-image

Top 5 Strikers Who Will Not Be Going To The World Cup

FIFA World Cup Qualifying Match - Spain V Italy
David Villa

The 2018 Russia World Cup begins in under a month and many national team managers have already named their 23-man squads. Many controversial and hard decisions have been made by the managers, leaving many players despondent. 

A mixture of top professionals has been left out due to various reasons. Whether its inconsistency, lack of playing time, injuries managers have made difficult decisions. 

A number of top strikers have not been called up to their national team squads and here we look at the top 5 strikers who won't be going to Russia. 


#5 David Villa  

The Spanish record goalscoring striker, David Villa, currently at New York City FC is still going strong and keen to represent his club and country. The Spanish striker won the MLS MVP award in 2016 displaying some amazing performances. The former World Cup winner scored 23 goals in 33 regular-season outings that season.  

Villa was picked in the Spanish national squad and had an outside chance of getting a call-up, but it remains a long-shot. The veteran striker will face an uphill battle to make the squad given the number of attacking options the manager has to select from. The 36-year-old player has scored 5 goals in 9 appearances in all competitions this season in the MLS.

The striker is two short of reaching 100 caps for his national side. The veteran striker is a multiple time La Liga winner, Villa has also won the 2010 WC and the Euro 2008 trophy with Spain.

You may also like