FIFA World Cup 2022: From Mohamed Salah to Gianluigi Donnarumma, Five Top Players Missing Out on the Showpiece Event in Qatar

The year 2022 is an exciting one for football mostly because of the FIFA World Cup which would be held in Qatar. Needless to say, it is one of the biggest and best competitions in the sport where footballers from many countries give their best effort in attaining the top prize and having their names etched in history. Almost every football player dreams of representing his country in the World Cup but not all make it. This year's World Cup is no exception. Despite possessing excellent skills and being one of the top performers in the sport, there are some big names who wouldn't be a part of the showpiece event this year in Qatar. Mohamed Salah To Retire From International Football? Here’s What the Egypt Star Had To Say After Senegal Defeat in FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers

Three spots still remain for qualification but so far, countries like Italy, Norway, Egypt, Chile and Colombia among others, have been eliminated and thus, would not be part of the tournament. In this list, we shall take a look at five top players who would not be travelling to Qatar for competing in FIFA World Cup 2022.

1) Mohamed Salah: Undoubtedly one of the biggest superstars in the sport, Mohamed Salah would not be playing at the World Cup this year. The star forward has been consistently performing for Liverpool for quite a long time now but he would not be able to showcase his success at the biggest competition in international football after Egypt was knocked out by Senegal in the qualifiers.

2) Erling Haaland: Haaland remains one of football's best youngsters at the moment but he would not have a platform as big as the World Cup to showcase his talent and increase his stature with Norway not being part of the competition. The Borussia Dortmund striker could not help Norway qualify for the World Cup despite scoring five goals in the qualifiers. Norway finished third in their qualifiers group, thereby missing out on a spot.

3) Marco Verratti: Marco Verratti is one of those players who would have to wait a little longer to be able to showcase his magical midfield skills at the World Cup. Italy would not be playing the World Cup this year as well, after suffering from a shock defeat at the hands of North Macedonia in the playoffs.

4) Gianluigi Donnarumma: The goalkeeper was the hero for the Italian national team at Euro 2020 where he was crowned Player of the Tournament in his country's title-winning campaign. Among the top three goalkeepers in the world, Donnarumma would be missing the World Cup with Italy having failed to qualify for the competition for a second successive time.

5) Giorgio Chiellini: The veteran defender is also one of those players who would miss out on the World Cup this year, with Italy's shock elimination from the quarterfinals. Too bad that he was not able to lead Italy from being continental champions to world-beaters. The seasoned center-back played a very impactful role in Italy's Euro 2020 title-winning campaign but admitted that he was left 'crushed' with Italy failing to secure a berth for the World Cup. Chiellini, who is 37 years of age now, is unlikely to be around for the next World Cup, which would happen in 2026.

Apart from these five stars, there are other big names like David Alaba, Riyad Mahrez and also Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, all of who would not be part of the World Cup. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of those names who would miss out on the competition too. The Swede had earlier brushed aside all his retirement rumours.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 01, 2022 05:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).