Messi makes it but there’s World Cup disappointment for future stars – for now

It’s been a week of reckoning for those nations hopeful of making the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and now the dust has settled after the final qualifying games. The playoffs offer hope for those lucky enough to have made them but they promise disappointment in equal measure.

Lionel Messi scored a hat trick in his country’s must-win game against Ecuador, impressing away at altitude in Quito to ensure that he will get one more shot at lifting the famous trophy he came so close to last time out in Brazil.

While FIFA will be delighted that all three of the game’s superstars will be present – Messi was last to the party after Cristiano Ronaldo’s record goal haul drove Portugal to Russia, while Neymar’s Brazil were the first to qualify – there are many players that will be missed in Moscow and beyond next summer.

The biggest miss for soccer’s governing body will undoubtedly be the US and, by extension, their current superstar in the making Christian Pulisic. The Borussia Dortmund youngster is only 18 but already carries the weight of expectation for one of the game’s fastestgrowing markets and is the poster boy for the US national team.

Anyone who grew up in the 1980s or has ever seen a film from the era would have died a little inside on the final whistle of the US loss to Trinidad & Tobago. A US team playing in Russia in the current political climate would be interesting viewing while American fans are an excellent addition to any World Cup.

Commercially, the absence of the US is a disaster. ESPN are out of pocket to the tune of $200 million for the broadcast rights to the tournament. A lack of US presence will surely equate to a comparative lack of US interest in games broadcast from halfway round the world, which is bad for everyone.

Pulisic will get another shot, likely at the following World Cup in Qatar. In an ideal world, it will be then before he collapses under the expectation of a 27-year-old Pulisic being the best player in the world ahead of a US-held tournament in 2026.

Not everyone is as lucky. Arjen Robben of the Netherlands, arguably the player of the tournament in Brazil last time out despite playing within the constrictive philosophy of Louis van Gaal, has retired after the Dutch failed to qualify.

Chile – who lay a strong claim to being the most consistent national team over the last few years – crashed out. That means no Alexis Sanchez or Arturo Vidal for the world to feast on. There will be no place for Vidal’s Bayern Munich teammate David Alaba either, nor many others regarded among the Ballon d’Or hopefuls.

That’s international soccer. There are a world-class 11 of players – never mind a squad that could challenge whoever will actually win – not going to Russia. Even the very best miss out on World Cups – George Best never even made the Euros. Gareth Bale of Wales and Pulisic still have time on their side.