Bale, Dzeko and Sanchez headline stars on W-Cup sidelines

PARIS: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo just made it. Gareth Bale, Edin Dzeko and Alexis Sanchez weren’t as fortunate.

While only 23 of the 32 qualifiers for next year’s World Cup Finals have been determined, there’s already a long list of high-profile players who have missed the cut.

Here’s a 3-4-3 line-up of some of the biggest names who will be watching the action in Russia from the sidelines:

● GOALKEEPER

Jan Oblak (Slovenia): The most expensive goalkeeper in the Spanish League at Atletico Madrid, the 24-year-old Oblak was included in the last two Champions League squads of the season.

● DEFENDERS Antonio Valencia (Ecuador): A reliable, hard-to-pass, attacking rightback and captain for Manchester United, Valencia plays in midfield for Ecuador.

Virgil van Dijk (Holland): An imposing centreback for Southampton, Van Dijk has been targeted for a transfer by English Premier League rivals Liverpool and Chelsea.

David Alaba (Austria): This versatile leftback has been a regular for Bayern Munich for the past six years.

● CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS

Arturo Vidal (Chile): Part of Chile’s golden generation that helped the team to the 2015 and 2016 Copa America titles, the 30-year-old Vidal missed the trip to Russia after a 3-0 loss to Brazil left Chile out on goal difference.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenia): A top assist man at Manchester United, Mkhitaryan is one of the most creative players in the Premier League.

● WINGERS

Arjen Robben (Holland): Another Bayern Munich veteran who announced his international retirement after a failed qualification campaign, Robben won the bronze ball award when he helped Holland to the 2010 World Cup final.

Christian Pulisic (United States): A player with the potential to become the US team’s first real international standout, the 19-year-old Pulisic has already broken a series of

“youngest” records with Borussia Dortmund and the US.

● FORWARDS

Alexis Sanchez (Chile): Another member of Chile’s golden generation, Sanchez has been an able scorer wherever he’s gone, from Udinese in Serie A to Barcelona in Spain and now in his fourth season at Arsenal in the Premier League.

Edin Dzeko (Bosnia): Last season’s Serie A scoring leader at AS Roma, this old-fashioned centre forward is a lethal finisher.

Gareth Bale (Wales): A multi-talented threat for Real Madrid, Bale led Wales to the semifinals of last year’s European Championship — which remains his only major international tournament. — AP