With the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar now just weeks away, several high-profile players look likely to be absent from the global showpiece.
The likes of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, plus the midfield pairing of reigning world champions France – N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba – are all set to miss out on taking part in the tournament because of injury.
The ever-running Kante is recovering from hamstring surgery and is expected to watch from the sidelines for the next four months at least. Pogba has not played a single match since leaving Manchester United for Juventus in June.
The 29-year-old midfielder suffered a meniscus tear during pre-season back in July and has not kicked a ball since. He will take solace from the fact that he lifted the World Cup trophy with his country in 2018, scoring the third goal in their 4-2 win over Croatia in the final.
Jota is set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines because of the calf muscle injury he sustained against Manchester City in mid-October. Though the Portuguese still rely heavily on their talismanic but ageing skipper Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota’s absence will be a significant blow to their World Cup hopes. His quality is unquestionable.
Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton Wanderers is also out of contention for a place in the Portugal side following an ankle injury. Neto will be gutted as an earlier injury, which kept him on the sidelines for 10 months, caused him to miss out on a slot in Portugal’s failed defence of their continental title at Euro 2020.
Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum is out of the running because of a fractured tibia. He is expected to return to the pitch some time in 2023, barring a fast recovery or an improved prognosis.
Meanwhile, England’s strength in depth for the World Cup has taken a knock, with Arsenal’s midfield magician Emile Smith Rowe set to miss the tournament owing to a groin injury that required surgery. He’s only expected to be back in training in December.
Though the previously mentioned players are definitely out of the quadrennial spectacle, there are others who are keeping fingers crossed in the hope of recovering in time for Qatar.
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Players in a race against time include Raphael Varane. The Manchester United defender suffered a hamstring injury in his club’s recent stalemate against Chelsea and left the pitch in tears as it dawned on him that he might not be part of France’s World Cup defence.
“He will be out, certainly until the World Cup. So he will not play in this block for Manchester United.
“I think [he can play at the World Cup] but we have to wait for the prognosis,” said United manager Erik ten Hag.
In the same boat as Varane are Argentina’s Paulo Dybala and Angel di Maria, plus England/Chelsea right-back Reece James. For Argentina, not having the duo might be a major blow for their World Cup hopes.
With Lionel Messi indicating this may be his final World Cup, the fairytale hope is that the football great will finally add the trophy to his accomplishments and further elevate his status as one of the greatest sportspeople of all time.
The closest the Argentines have come to fulfilling Messi’s destiny was in the 2014 edition played in Brazil, where they were edged out by eventual champions Germany in the final.
“It’s a concern because it’s a different World Cup, you play at a different time and we’re so close that any little thing that can happen to you can leave you out,” 35-year-old Messi told DirecTV Sports as he discussed injuries his compatriots had suffered.
Particularly devastated about his injury setback will be Dybala.
The attacker had reinvented himself following his departure from Juventus to join Serie A rivals Roma at the beginning of the current season.
The Argentine had scored seven goals from 11 games in all competitions, and was looking as if he was enjoying his football once more after a rough spell with injuries in 2020/2021, which culminated in him being left out of the Copa America-winning squad for his country.