Lionel Messi and Neymar have confirmed their tickets for the 2022 World Cup – both are expected to be present in Qatar to assist the two Latin American giants. But the other name spoken about in the same breath, Cristiano Ronaldo, as of now, can miss playing at the big stage next year, though Ronaldo himself said there was no cause to worry as Portugal would make most of the play-offs. Ronaldo alone is not at the risk of missing the Qatar trip. The fates of stars like Mohamed Salah and Jorginho also hangs in balance – Egypt and Italy are yet not sure of the World Cup berths, the play-off hurdles stare at them in the next FIFA dates. Standing in line are David Alaba, Robert Lewandowski, Luis Suarez and many others, who could be out of Qatar if the nations they represent fail to quality.

World Cup is definitely the biggest stage to showcase one’s talent; without it the myths of Pele, Garrincha or Maradona would have not been built to this extent. But it doesn’t mean those who didn’t get the chance to set their foot in the arena of world’s greatest show could be dismissed as second-rung footballers. We all were aware of the devastating effect George Best had on the pitch. Sadly, Northern Ireland could never make the World Cup – they should have been there in 1966, but failed to beat Albania. Alfredo Di Stefano met with a similar fate as Spain failed to qualify for 1958 losing to Scotland and then Di Stefano himself picked up an injury four years later. Much later, the World Cup fans missed some true greats like Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, George Weah etc. To say World Cup was the loser won’t be an exaggeration. Cantona was the natural choice for France’s captaincy in 1998 but his suspension changed it all. Zindine Zidane replaced him as the captain and qualified for the World Cup and eventually won it at home. But does that mean Cantona would be forgotten? Ask a Manchester United fan and he will tell you what he thinks of the Frenchman.