Norway are at risk of not qualifying for Euro 2024, meaning Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland may not be a part of the summer tournament. The pair are arguably two of the best players in the world, but are set to miss out on representing their country at the Euros.
We take a look at five world class players who have never played at an international tournament.
Ryan Giggs
Embed from Getty ImagesRyan Giggs had a glittering career, playing for just one club throughout in Manchester United. The Welshman won Giggs won 13 league titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, two Champions Leagues and a FIFA World Club Cup. However on the international stage whilst Giggs was playing, Wales were not as competitive as they are now. He made 64 appearances for his country, scoring 12 goals.
Giggs retired for Wales in 2007, but his nation did not qualify for a European Championship until 2016, as they made it all the way to the semi-finals. Giggs did have some success with Team GB in the 2012 London Olympics, as he captained the side in the summer tournament. Since Giggs retired, Wales have qualified for two European Championships and one World Cup.
George Best
Embed from Getty ImagesGeorge Best was regarded as one of the world’s great talents, but represented Northern Ireland at an international level. As talented as he was, the quality alongside him on the pitch was never good enough to qualify for a place at either the Euros or World Cup.
Best racked up 37 appearances for Northern Ireland and scored nine goals between 1964-1977. It is a huge shame that we never saw Best play of the biggest international stages, but he had a phenomenal career at club level. His most successful years came at Manchester United where he helped the club win their first European Cup in 1968.
George Weah
Embed from Getty ImagesGeorge Weah represented Liberia in international football. The quality of his nation’s side always hindered his chances of playing at a World Cup. During 1985-2000, Weah played for AS Monaco, PSG and AC Milan and was regarded as one of the most talented strikers in the world at the time.
Weah and Liberia were very close to qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, but missed out in securing their place by one point. Weah did play in two African Cup of Nations campaigns in 1996 and 2002. On Both occasions, Liberia failed to make it out of their group.
Ian Rush
Embed from Getty ImagesIan Rush is best known for being one of Liverpool’s legendary strikers. He won five English league titles, two European Cup winners’ cups, five English league cups, three FA Cups and four English super cups. He scored a stunning 170 goals for Liverpool across two spells.
During his for his national side Wales, they never qualified for a major tournament. Rush scored a winning goal in a 1992 European Championship qualifier against Germany, and was top goalscorer for Wales until Gareth Bale surpassed his tally in 2018.
Paolo Di Canio
Embed from Getty ImagesNot only did Paulo Di Canio never play at a World Cup or European Championship for Italy, he never even played for Italy full stop. A player of his talent was never called up to play for his national side during his career, which spanned between the years of 1985-2008. He did make nine appearances for Italy under 21s, but never broke into the senior team.
