The World Cup is one of sport’s greatest ever concepts – an all-inclusive competition uniting the entire globe. Teams from all the metaphorical corners of Earth will ascend upon a single nation – this time Russia – and compete to show why they are the best. A downside to this though, is there needs to be an elimination process. So, sadly, some nations, and therefore some of the best players in the world, miss out. This is Park Life Sport’s XI of the best players who won’t be in Russia.
Formation – 4-2-3-1
GK – Jan Oblak
The Slovenian shot-stopper is widely considered as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and the title for the best goalkeeper in the world is contested between him and David de Gea. Oblak has statistically been the second best keeper in the world this season, making 2.8 saves per game and keeping 22 clean sheets, three more than any other goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues.
RB – Antonio Valencia
Antonio Valencia was the first Ecuadorian to play in the Premier League, and has been one of the best right-backs in the league for the past nine years. Vice-captain for Manchester United and captain for Ecuador, he is a consistent performer, as well as being an exceptional athlete – he has rarely ever let his side down.
CB – Virgil van Dijk
The most expensive defender in football history, van Dijk has been instrumental in plugging Liverpool’s leaky defence. Before van Dijk this season, Liverpool conceded 1.2 goals per game, had a 40% clean sheet ratio and a 57%-win rate. Now Liverpool concede 0.53 goals per game, keep clean sheets 60% of the time and win 67% of their games.
CB – Kostas Manolas
The hero who scored Roma’s third-and-final goal at the Stadio Olimpico that saw them overcome a three goal deficit to beat Barcelona and earn a place in the Champions League semi-finals, Kostas Manolas has been a revelation since in the Italian capital since his transfer from Olimpiacos. Quick, strong and robust, the no-nonsense Greek centre-back will be missed from the World Cup.
LB – Faouzi Ghoulam
A left-field option, Algeria has a few stars missing out on this World Cup, including Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez. Ghoulam was part of the Napoli side that pushed the Juventus all the way to the last game of the season, threatening their control of the league. Ghoulam completes 89% of his passes, whilst also completing 2.5 key passes per game – whilst also being the left-back that scores the most goals per 90 minutes in the Serie A.
CM – Arturo Vidal
The Chilean has found games hard to come by this year with the arrival of starlet Corentin Tolisso at Bayern, but he is still undoubtedly one of the world’s best centre-midfielders. A traditional box-to-box who can do everything in the game, he’s got the aggression of a pit-bull and the technique of a Florentine artist – not to mention his fiery temperament which characterises his play.
CM – Miralem Pjanic
A poet with the ball, in the modern day game Pjanic can be considered technically one of the best footballers in the world. A specialist from dead-balls, he’s scored three goals from free-kicks in 31 games this season. The Bosnian also has a 90% pass accuracy, which is the third best for any centre-midfielder in Serie A this season.
RAM – Henrikh Mkhitaryan
The captain of Armenia, the Arsenal forward is following in his father’s footsteps in playing for his country. Mkhitaryan’s transfer to Arsenal in January has freed him on the pitch, and has allowed him to express himself. This season, Mkhitaryan has scored more goals, made the same number of assists and takes more shots per game than he ever did and Manchester United – despite the Red Devils finished in 2nd compared to Arsenal’s 6th.
CAM – Alexis Sanchez
The contrast in Sanchez’s and Mkhitaryan’s situation is remarkable – they’ve both been liberated from their teams to play for each other’s managers, who arguably trapped their footballing talent. Sanchez – on his day – is one of the best footballers in the world, and he can single-handedly dismantle a team. Look at what he did to West Ham on the 3rd December 2016. It’s a shame he won’t be in Russia.
LAM – Gareth Bale
Frozen out at Real, Bale has lost some of his once astounding pace, but he is still one of the world’s best players. He elevated his team to a new level at Euro 2016, as Wales reached the semi-finals, in turn removing the ‘new Giggs’ label, instead labelling his predecessor ‘the old Bale’. A versatile player who started his career at left-back, it’s amazing he’s now a right-winger, and shows his underlying intelligence.
ST – Edin Dzeko
The Bosnian this season became the first player to score 50+ goals in three of Europe’s top five leagues after great success with Wolfsburg, Manchester City and now Roma. A large part of Roma’s success in the Champions League this season, scoring 25 goals in total, seven assists and seven man of the match awards.
Honourable Mentions:
Mauro Icardi
Ciro Immobile
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Marek Hamsik
Andrew Robertson
Gianluigi Buffon
Naby Keita
Radja Nainggolan
David Alaba
Lorenzo Insigne
Leonardo Bonucci
Eric Bailly
Arjen Robben
