June 2018 ended with the hope of millions of people that was developed over the past 12 years crashing to the ground. The World Cup dream of the two of the greatest players in history was over. The fans had always prayed for either of the two, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo shall hold the most coveted trophy in their hand. At the age of 31 and 33 respectively, this was their last realistic chance that blew away in the round of 16 stages.
It is not only these two legends though, who have never won the World Cup trophy to an otherwise glorious and legendary career. There have been a few who were right there on the top, and still couldn’t add the title of World champions to their cabinet. We will be looking at 16 legendary players who were unable to win the biggest accolade:
George Best (Northern Ireland)
Considered by many as the best player of football above anyone else, George Best justified his name when on the pitch. The Manchester United talisman was a Northern Ireland international, and could never bring his charisma to the national side as he could never help them even qualify for the tournament. He was selected for the 1982 campaign, but at the age of 36 and a serious addiction of alcohol meant his skills were drained out, resulting in a 9th place finish.
Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
The man who changed football forever, Cruyff led a revolution when he took the new concept of “Total Football” to a new level. He shook the world with his special “Cruyff Turn” and was a force to reckon with his Dutch team in the 70s. Such a brilliant footballer, and yet the closest he could get to the trophy was in 1974, when his Netherlands side defeated Argentina and Brazil on their route to the final where they led the scoring before losing 2-1 to West Germany. He retired in 1977 due to political issues after helping his team qualify, and thus missed out on a World Champion tag.
Lev Yashin (Soviet Union)
The “Black Spider” from USSR is the only goalkeeper in the history to win a Ballon d’or, and is reckoned as the best goalie in history. With 270 career clean sheets and over 150 penalty saves, Yashin was the sole reason in many Soviet victories. But the spider could not lead the superpower to the World Champion title, coming only as close as 4th place finish in England 1966.
Eusebio (Portugal)
The best Portugese player in the World Cup history, Eusebio was just better than Yashin when it comes to the best finish at the tournament. He scored from the spot against the Soviet goalie to ensure a 3rd place finish for Portugal in the 1966 World Cup, which was his 9th goal in England. He also scored a penalty in a lost cause against England in the semifinal, but his best performance came against North Korea when he scored 4 in a row after the team lagged behind 0-3 in the quarterfinal. Portugal failed to qualify for the next tournament and Eusebio retired in 1973, leaving his World Cup cabinet empty.
Ferenc Puskas (Hungary, Spain)
The deadliest striker in football history, Puskas led the dangerous Hungarian side that was unbeaten in 31 games and 4 years to the final in Bern in 1954 and faced a West Germany side whom they defeated 8-3 in the group stage. After leadin 2-0, Germany recovered to lead 3-2, and Puskas almost equalized in the dying stages but was ruled offside. That was the closest he would come to the Jules Rimet Trophy, with Hungary finishing 10th in Sweden and although he jumped ship to represent Spain in 1962, they crashed out finishing last in their group.
David Beckham (England)
The first “celebrity” footballer, Beckham made football a household in late 90s and early 2000s. He was a member of the “Class of ‘92” and the “Galactico” Real Madrid and was famous for his playmaking, long range goals and curling free-kicks. The stylish English captain had a lot of controversy surrounding him in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and his best finishes were consecutive quarterfinals in 2002 and 2006. England lost to eventual winners Brazil in 2002, and went out on penalties to Portugal in Germany. Beckham retired from international football in 2009, and thus could never be known as the World Champion.
Eric Cantona (France)
The “King of Manchester” was a fierce striker and a bold personality. Before pursuing a career in acting, Cantona was a key member of the initial stages of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, and was a fan favorite. He had beaming self-confidence and was one of the best and most controversial players around in his time. The four time Premier League winner has rather forgettable memories with the World Cup tournament though, failing to qualify for 1990 and 1994 editions. He lost his place to Zinedine Zidane in 1995, and would never be recalled for national duty, with France winning on home soil in 1998 without Cantona who retired an year before.
Paul Scholes (England)
Scholsey was simply the best midfielder England ever had. He was the engine of the all-dominating Manchester United side. Another “Class of ‘92” product, Scholes was around in the 1998 and 2002 campaign, and was an integral part of a fairly good English side that somehow managed to bow out in pre-quarterfinal and quarterfinals respectively. He never got going with the national side though, and the graceful English midfielder retired from the international scenes in August 2004 to pay more attention to his club career, ending all hopes of a World Cup.
Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
The striker who everyone believed could only be stopped by a pistol, El Pistolero was a 4 time La Liga champion in the great Barcelona side of Johan Cruyff. He participated in the 1994 and 1998, with his best bet in 1994 ending in a 4th place finish after defeats from Italy in semifinal and Sweden in the third place playoff. Stoichkov won the Golden Boot in USA though, but still could not make his otherwise average team go past the likes of Italy and Brazil to win the title. He did make the squad in 1998, but was much off his prime and could do nothing more than a Group stage exit.
Zico (Brazil)
One of the best midfielders of all time, Zico was unlucky enough to have started his career just a year after the Golden Brazilian team won its third trophy at the competition and entered an age of rather lackluster period by their standard. The best finish for Brazil with Zico in squad was a 3rd at Argentina in 1978, with a 5th place finish in 1982 and 1986 editions. Zico retired after the 1986 World Cup, leaving the dream of a World Cup unfulfilled.
Arjen Robben (Netherlands)
The flag bearer on the golden generation of Dutch footballers, Robben was as close as anyone could get without winning the tournament. He participated in 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups before retiring after the Dutch failed to qualify for Russia. He came as close as being a finalist in 2010 which Netherlands lost wih Iniesta scoring just 4 minutes before going into the penalties. They were a strong side in 2014 too, but eventually had to console themselves with a 3rd place after bowing out to Argentina in the semis.
Paolo Maldini (Italy)
One of the greatest players of all time, Maldini was the captain of the Italian national side for 16 years. He was a member of four World Cup squads, finishing 3rd on home soil in 1990 before earning a runner-up medal in 1994. Italy crashed out of the quarter final in 1998, and a controversial loss to hosts Korea in round of 16 in 2002 led to the retirement for the 34 year old. Although Italy won the next tournament in Germany, but it was too late for their dedicated servant to savior the title.
Raul Gonzalez (Spain)
Bar Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul is the greatest player of Real Madrid history. The iconic no. 7 for the Madrid and Spanish sides of late 90s and early 2000s, Raul had a decade at the top level of the game. He was elegant, hard-working and skillful, and yet was not a part of the golden generation which won the first World Cup for the Iberian nation in 2010. Raul was a part of the side that went out in the group stages in 1998 and was injured as they lost the quarter final to South Korea in 2002. He also captained the side that lost to France in the round of 16 tie in 2006, and retired soon after the tournament.
Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands)
The second most capped player in Netherlands history, the ex- Manchester United goalkeeper is a veteran of 3 tournaments of 1994, 1998 and 2006, while the side failed to qualify in 2002. The best finish for him came in 1998 as the 4th placed team in the competition. He hung his gloves after the round of 16 loss to Portugal in 2006, but returned for a short spell to help Netherlands qualify for the next edition before retiring again without any further appearance, which could probably have seen him end as a runner up or probably, a winner.
Frank Lampard (England)
The Chelsea legend is one of the best attacking midfielders in history, and was a part of a midfield partnership with Steven Gerrard that made England a strong contender for every tournament they played. And still they could only make it to the quarter final in 2006 as their best finish with a round of 16 exit in 2010 and group stage exit in 2014 is a fact that remains unexplained. Lampard was a part of few really talented English players that could just not make it at the biggest stage.
Oliver Kahn (Germany)
The German shot stopper was one of the best in his time around, and almost took Germany to the title in Korea & Japan in 2002, conceding just once until the final, despite low expectations from the side. Spending the previous two World Cups on the bench, Kahn lost his starting spot by the time World Cup came to his home in 2006, but was a part of the squad that finished 3rd. He retired after the game against Portugal, ending all chances of landing the trophy in his safe hands.
There were many players who were too good than their compatriots in the trade, and still remained short of the World Cup title, with the biggest tournament proving time and again that it is not the individual players and talents that matters but the team game that brings you to the helm of glory.
Honorable Mentions: Gary Linekar, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, John Terry (England); Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast); George Weah (Liberia); Roberto Baggio, Gianfranco Zola (Italy); Micheal Ballack (Germany); Wesley Sneidjer (Netherlands); Michel Platini, Frank Ribery (France); Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) and many more.
Beyond Minute 90 