The greatest XI of footballers to have never won a World Cup | OneFootball

Highlights

The World Cup is seen as the biggest major honour a player can win throughout their career as extra importance is placed on achieving success with a national side in comparison to club success. Some of the greatest football players of all time such as Lionel Messi, Pele and Diego Maradona have all led their country to victory on the biggest international stage and it has only gone to further their already remarkable legacies within the beautiful game.

However, while we have seen true footballing royalty take its place on the pages of World Champions, we have seen others, just as deserving, who have never won the ultimate prize in the game. In fact, you can build a very handy XI out of the stars who were never quite able to join the exclusive club of global conquerors.

We decided to take a look at the best-ever players to miss out on World Cup glory and create an extremely talented team in the process with some incredible talent in domestic competition just not quite doing it on the biggest international stage.

GK: Oliver Kahn

Oliver Khan needs no introduction. He was known as one of the craziest goalkeepers ever due to the fearless way he used to conduct himself in goal. Kahn was nicknamed “Der Titan” by his counterparts and having won every club and international accolade on offer to him, it was perhaps even more agonising for the German shot-stopper who came excruciatingly close in 2002 when Germany met Brazil in the World Cup Final. Unfortunately, the big German was rendered almost powerless when attempting to stop an inspired Ronaldo and Brazil from steam-rolling them in the world’s biggest game.

Despite the fact that the famous gold-plated accolade doesn’t sit in the Bayern Munich icon’s trophy cabinet, it definitely doesn't change the fact that the 6 ft 2 goalkeeper is a bonafide legend who will always be one of Germany's finest footballing exports. Having kept 21 clean sheets in 93 appearances for his country, it is no wonder that Khan is highly regarded by his compatriots.

RB: Dani Alves

Debatably, the best right-back of all time, and at the very least, of his generation, the World Cup is one of few trophies available to Dani Alves that the Brazilian hasn’t won. Having won a colossal 42 trophies, Alves has registered the second-most trophy wins for an individual player ever, and sits just two behind the great Lionel Messi. A born winner, Alves and his national team teammates have always fallen short in all three of the World Cups he has competed in.

It may be a case of the team underperforming as they head into almost every tournament as one of the favourites, or perhaps Alves was just unlucky to be around during a generation of Brazilian players that don't quite match up to the sides of the past. The former Barcelona man can look back at his career with great pride with all the major honours he has won, but missing out on the World Cup is likely to sting.

CB: Paolo Maldini

Paolo Maldini reached a godlike status in the realms of Milanese culture. The very embodiment of a one-club man, the Italian centre-back made over 900 appearances for Rossonerri over a career spanning 25 years. Retiring from the beautiful game in 2009, the Italian centre-half is one of very few players to have won the Champions League five times. A regular fixture for both club and country, Maldini appeared to be loved by all, and especially those of a Milan persuasion.

Sadly, the closest the player ever came to the World Cup was when he walked past it to collect his runners-up medal after defeat to Brazil in the 1994 final. Throwing in the towel on his playing days for the Savoy Blue of Italy in 2002, Maldini would play on for another seven years. To the player’s conflicting dismay, four years later, Fabio Cannavaro and co. would lift the prestigious trophy aloft. Despite this, Maldini is regarded as one of the all-time greats on a football pitch.

CB: Ronald Koeman

To the younger football fan, Ronald Koeman will be a name that is known for his time in management. But prior to his stint running the football management circuit, Koeman was a decorated, ball-playing centre-half. His technical ability was such that he was able to operate as almost a deep-lying playmaker, and having played under Johan Cruyff at Barcelona you can see where the stern-faced Netherlands defender got it.

Starring for the Oranges on 78 occasions, winning the European Championships in the process, the distinctive, ginger-haired, Koeman remains the top-scoring defender in world football - with 248 goals for club and country - as well as being a two-time European Cup winner with PSV and Barcelona respectively. Like everyone in this team, the centre-back never won the golden gong.

LB: Ashley Cole

Seen as one of the greatest left-backs to have ever graced a football pitch, the former Chelsea and Arsenal man never got within a sniff of a World Cup success. The 2006 tournament in Germany saw the Three Lions reach the quarter-final stage before being knocked out by Portugal on penalties. Cole is almost undisputedly one of the best defenders to have played in the Premier League and is often in a debate with Roberto Carlos as the best ever.

As Carlos won the World Cup in 2002, it makes it an easy decision. Cole was not only incredible defensively, but he also showed his technical ability going forward on many occasions. The England side that Cole was part of had so many talented players within the ranks, but managerial appointments missed the mark on several occasions and things never seemed to gel for the apparent 'Golden Generation' of English football. He made 107 appearances for his country while racking up over 700 club games throughout his career.

CM: Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff is such a legendary figure, with a name that hovers over some of the greatest footballing cathedrals and institutions on the planet that you just kind of assume that he must have won a World Cup at some point - he didn't. The Dutch maverick, who even has a specific footballing manoeuvre named after him was simply irrepressible at his peak. A goalscoring attacking midfielder, Cruyff had recorded a staggering 468 G/A involvements (goals and assists) in 539 senior appearances at club level, winning the European Cup and Ballon d’Or on three occasions.

The year of 1974 was the closest the legendary figure got to lifting the greatest international prize as the Netherlands were defeated by West Germany in the final of the World Cup. Cruyff actually didn't get any closer than this during his European Championships campaigns for his nation either as his best finish in that tournament was third-place in 1976.

CM: Zico

Zico is yet another immortal figure that, because he was Brazilian and just very, very good, it's hard to believe that he doesn't have a winner's medal locked up in a safety deposit box somewhere in Brazil. With flair, ebullience, and unrestrained pizazz in abundance, the man who spent much of his professional career in Brazil playing for Flamengo, perhaps doesn’t always get the due respect his sparkling ability warranted. Scoring 48 times for his national side from midfield should go a long way to increasing that level of respect as most international strikers can only dream of a return like that - and is up there with the most Brazil international goals.

Finishing third at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, crashing out in the second group stage in 1982, and the quarter-finals in 1986, Zico never got the pleasure of gracing the pitch for a World Cup Final. Consequently, we never got to witness one of the game’s true greats lift the most prestigious award of them all.

RW: Cristiano Ronaldo

Before you reach for the torches and pitch-forks, the reason we have one of the greatest players to ever live playing on the right wing is simply down to just how much dazzling talent there is elsewhere.

Cristiano Ronaldo typifies what happens when supreme capacity to kick a football meet unwavering dedication. The physical specimen seems to have defied the natural process of ageing with the way he can still play football at 38. The enduring forward, with his characteristic stepovers, flawless physique, and rapid pace owes his prolonged career to his commitment to the sport he loves and “body is a temple” mentality.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has bagged 721 goals at club level, and 125 goals for the Portugal national side - a mesmerising return which is actually the highest of any international player since the turn of the century. With five Champions League titles, included in his staggering accumulation of 29-trophies, it may surprise fans in years to come that Ronaldo never reached the absolute pinnacle of international football, and at the age of 38, with the next installment of the FIFA World Cup not for another three years, it looks increasingly unlikely he ever will.

LW: Gareth Bale

The Welsh wizard staked his claim as one of the most electrifying left-wingers in the world in his prime. The former Galactico who is now officially retired from the sport, was a sensation at his best and was simply unplayable with his raw pace, and lethal left boot. A five-time Champions League winner, the winger led Wales to two European Championships, as well as their first World Cup in 56 years.

The odds were always stacked against him as far as winning the World Cup was concerned, predominantly due to Wales’ status as a relative minnow in comparison to the worldly forces competing. Bale did, however, star in the 2016 Euros as his nation reached the semi-finals of the tournament - with the forward scoring three goals - before being knocked out by eventual winners, Portugal. This goes to show that the ex-Real Madrid star was brilliant on the international stage even if the team around him weren't World Cup-winning quality. Despite this, Madrid fans are still divided regarding their united opinion on the Welshman.

ST: Marco Van Basten

Marco Van Basten made a habit of breaking goal-scoring records wherever he went and, while he was never able to inspire the Netherlands to glory, he will always be one of the greatest strikers ever. The Dutchman spent his 14-year career at Ajax and AC Milan, where he would go on to net 277 goals in 373 games for the two sides. Of course, for those who know about the player’s torrid injury issues, he could have racked up a hell of a lot more had his career not ended prematurely.

A two-time Champions League winner, three-time Ballon d’Or winner, and European Championship winner with the Netherlands, Van Basten would only represent his country at one World Cup, in 1990, but never recorded a World Cup goal. This is a classic example of a world-class star that just can't replicate their incredible club form on the biggest stage, although Van Basten may have left a bigger World Cup legacy had he not suffered the aforementioned injury problems.

Lo and behold, another Ballon d’Or winner. Karim Benzema has been perpetually underrated and undervalued by everyone outside the Real Madrid bubble, having to compete with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Vini Jr. and a plethora of galacticos over the years, the Frenchman has frequently been overlooked. This is despite the fact that the Frenchman is one of the most decorated players of all time with 33 trophies to his name. Being a vital part of Real Madrid's success for 14 years is remarkable and the way he stepped up after Ronaldo's exit is admirable as he scored 236 goals in five years without his former teammate in the side.

Benzema’s troubles with the French team have been well-publicised by the media, with the player’s relations with the French FA strained due to being implicated in a blackmail scandal that he was found guilty of in 2021. Had he not been caught up in the aforementioned controversy, Benzema would undoubtedly be a World Cup winner now, with France winning the trophy in 2018 even without the man that has scored 37 times for his country. The five-time Champions League winner’s prospects of another shot at the tournament look unlikely, now aged 35 and playing his football in the Saudi Pro League. With 423 goals on his record, it’s a travesty the player has never won the World Cup.