Often hailed as the most prestigious football tournament in the world, the FIFA World Cup is followed by billions of football aficionados from all over the world. The glorious history of the FIFA World Cup, on the one hand, has witnessed numerous prominent football stalwarts, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pèle and many others, and shockingly, has also been witness to a few legendary football players who have although had absolutely successful football careers but never got the opportunity to represent their country in the FIFA World Cup.
In this article we will take a look at the top four iconic football players who have never played in a FIFA World Cup in their entire career.
Top 4 Legendary Footballers Who Never Played in a FIFA World Cup
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Alfredo Di Stefano
Often popularly referred to as “Saeta Rubia”, the legendary Spanish professional football player Alfredo Di Stefano is at the first spot in our list of the top four legendary football players who have never played in the FIFA World Cup. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all-time, Alfredo Di Stefano also played a crucial role in Real Madrid’s domination in the European Cup and La Liga during the 1950s and 1960s. Despite witnessing an extremely successful professional football career, Alfredo Di Stefano failed to make even a single appearance in the World Cup.
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George Best
At the second spot in our list of the top four iconic football players who have never played in a FIFA World Cup in their entire career, we have the legendary Northern-Irish professional football player, George Best. Often hailed as one of the greatest football players of all-time, George Best was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968 and came fifth in the FIFA Player of the Century vote. Owing to his dominant and unmatched exploits on the field, George Best was also inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Shockingly, despite witnessing an incredible professional football career, George Best never got to play even a single game in the World Cup.
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Laszlo Kubala
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four legendary football players who never played in the FIFA World Cup, we have the legendary Hungarian professional football player László Kubala, who played as a forward for Ferencváros, Slovan Bratislava, Barcelona, and Espanyol, among other clubs. Widely regarded as one of the most prominent players of the Real Madrid club, László Kubala witnessed two spells as coach of Barcelona and also coached both Spain’s senior national team and Spain’s national under-21 football team, speaking volumes about his unwavering dominance on the field. Shockingly, despite having such an incredible and extremely successful football career, Kubala never played in the FIFA World Cup.
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Valentino Mazzola
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four iconic football players who have never played in a FIFA World Cup in their entire career, we have the legendary Italian footballer, Valentino Mazzola, who played as an attacking midfielder and forward. Often hailed as one of the most successful and influential football players of all-time, Valentino Mazzola was considered one of the best players in Europe in his role. Tragically, Valentino Mazzola passed away at the young age of thirty in the Superga air disaster without making even a single FIFA World Cup appearance.
