After Barca, Iniesta begins a new chapter at Japan’s Kobe
HARD LUCK A host of club superstars have not played the World Cup. Real’s Bale will be the biggest absentee in Russia
On the verge of being an European champion with Real Madrid for the fourth time in five seasons, it would be an understatement to say that Gareth Bale has had a fairly successful stint with Los Blancos. Despite his injuries, Bale has had solid contribution to Real’s European conquests.
Two years back, Bale followed up his Champions League success with prolific showings for Wales as they surprisingly reached the semi-finals of the 2016 European Championship. This summer, however, the talismanic winger won’t be seen strutting his stuff in Russia.
With Wales failing to qualify for the World Cup, Bale joins a list of other greats to have never played at the tournament. He, of course, will have a shot at erasing his name off it in four years’ time, but he will be approaching 33 by then and it remains to be seen if Wales remain strong enough to qualify for Qatar 2022.
Bale’s new national team coach, Ryan Giggs, will be able to empathise with him.
At Manchester United, under Alex Ferguson, Giggs rarely had seasons when the club failed to win a major trophy. Thirteen league titles, two
Champions League crowns and a host of other titles made him one of the world’s most decorated footballers.
Such level of success was impossible to replicate with perennial underdogs Wales, as Giggs found out. It was a similar fate to that of Ian Rush, Giggs’ senior teammate in Wales during the United winger’s younger years.
Rush had won five league titles and two European Cups, among other trophies with Liverpool, but Wales couldn’t make it to a major tournament.
International football has been a tough terrain to conquer for some of the sport’s most prominent faces. In 1993, Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew inspired Marseille to an unprecedented Champions League triumph, the only occasion a French club became European champions.
But while Ayew tasted international success with Ghana at the African Cup of Nations, the country couldn’t make the World Cup grade during his career.
Former Germany midfielder Berndt Schuster is another great to have never played in football’s showpiece. His absence, however, had less to do with the country’s football prowess. At the age of 24, Schuster quit international football due to disagreements with the country’s governing body, subsequently missing out on Germany’s 1986 and 1990 World Cup campaigns. When the tournament reaches Qatar, Bale will be hoping to make his way out of the ill-fated list. Country: Wales
Notable clubs: Tottenham
Hotspur (2007-2013), Real Madrid (2013-present)
Major club titles won: UEFA Champions League (2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17), La Liga, (2016-17), FIFA Club World Cup (2014, 2017) Despite his successes with Real
Madrid, he has never played at a
World Cup, and with the Welshman set to approach 33 by in four years, it remains to be seen if he manages to get a shot at the biggest tournament in world football. He, however, did manage to lead the national team to an unprecedented semi-final appearance at the 2016 European Championship. Country: Italy
Notable clubs: Torino (1942-1949)
Major club titles won: Serie A (1942-43,
1944-45, 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49)
Considered world’s best club, Grande Torino won five Serie A titles in the 40s. The team was led by Valentino Mazzola one of the world’s best. Tragedy struck in 1949 when almost the entire Torino team died in the Superga air disaster. Italy, who would have been led by Mazzola, made a group stage exit from the 1950 World Cup. Country: Argentina, Spain
Notable clubs: Real Madrid (1953-1964) Major club titles won: European Cup (1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60),
La Liga (1953-54, 1954-55, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64)
The Argentina-born forward was denied a chance to play in the 1950 and 1954 editions after his country withdrew from the
Cup. Di Stefano became a Spanish citizen in 1956, but Spain failed to qualify for 1958. He helped Spain make the cut to the 1962, but this time, an injury forced him out. Country: Liberia
Notable clubs: Monaco
(1988-92), Paris Saint-Germain (1992-95), AC Milan (1995-2000), Chelsea (2000)
Major club titles won: Ligue 1 (1993-94), Serie A (1995-96, 1998-99)
The only African to win the FIFA Player of the Year as well as the Ballon d’Or, the closest he came to qualifying for the World Cup was in 2002 edition when Liberia failed to make the cut by just a point. Despite Weah’s exploits, Liberia struggled in internationals. Country: Northern Ireland
Notable clubs: Manchester United (1963-1974)
Major club titles won: European Cup (1968),
English First Division (1964-65, 1966-67)
His exploits for Man United propelled Matt Busby-coached side to European Cup triumph in 1968, but his finest years saw Northern Ireland struggle. Off-field issues saw Best’s career fade away in his late 20s. When Northern Ireland qualified for their first World Cup in 1982, a 36-year-old Best, beset by alcoholism, was well past his prime. Country: France
Notable clubs: Marseille (1988-91),
Leeds United (1992), Manchester United (1992-1997)
Major club titles won: Ligue 1 (1988-89, 1990-91), English First Division (1991-92), Premier League
(1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97)
Dubbed ‘King Eric’ by Man United fans after helping them end a 26-year league title drought in 1993, Cantona’s career for France was underwhelming. France failed to qualify for 1990 and 1994. Soon after, Cantona, then France skipper, was suspended for kicking a fan during a game in England in 1995. He lost his place and was never recalled.
Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta kicked off a new chapter to his career when he signed for Japanese side Vissel Kobe on Thursday, swapping La Liga for the J League after 16 stellar years at Spanish champions Barcelona.
The 34-year-old former Barca captain, who had spent his entire career at the Nou Camp, was introduced at a news conference in Tokyo by Kobe owner Hiroshi Mikitani and will wear his familiar number eight jersey for the J.League side.
“This is a very special day. This is a very important challenge for me and my career,” Iniesta said, noting that he had a lot of respect for Japanese soccer which had many high-level players. “Therefore, I would like to contribute to my team and show my style of play. That is why I came to Japan and through my play I hope to make contributions for further development for the club and Japanese soccer.”
Mikitani called Iniesta “the most respected soccer player in the world” and said his signing would not only contribute to the club but also help promote the league through his name recognition.
“I hope the J.League will grow into a league that the whole world wants to watch,” said Mikitani, who is also the chief executive of Barca’s main sponsor Rakuten.
The move will see Iniesta, who bid a tearful farewell when he played his final game for Barcelona on Sunday, link up with former German international Lukas Podolski, who joined the Japanese side last year.
Barcelona and Denmark great Michael Laudrup also played for Kobe for one season between 1996-97.
Iniesta will try to help Kobe, currently sixth in the J1 League after 15 games, win a first ever Japanese championship. The club’s highest ever finish was seventh in 2016.
At Barcelona, he won nine La Liga titles, four Champions League titles and six King’s Cups.
Before he embarks on his Japanese adventure, Iniesta will join up with the Spain team to prepare for the World Cup in Russia, where they will be seeking a second title.
Iniesta scored the only goal in the 2010 final against the Netherlands to give Spain their first World Cup. This year, they kick off their Group B campaign against Portugal in Sochi on June 15. Morocco and Iran are the other teams in the pool.
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