By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 is getting closer. With only a few days till the tournament, some players who had wanted to compete have had their aspirations dashed owing to injuries sustained while on duty for their clubs.
Here are the top players who have been ruled out of the World Cup due to injuries.
1. Sadio Mane – Senegal
Former Liverpool playmaker Sadio Mane, who currently plays as a forward for Bayern Munich is the hitman of the Senegalese national team.
Sadio suffered a knee injury thirteen days before the competition in Qatar. He was injured in the 15th minute of his team’s match against Werder Bremen.
2. N’golo Kante – France
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Kante was one of France’s key players who displayed class in the midfield. The 31-year-old will miss the World Cup for the Les Bles after undergoing surgery for a hamstring injury suffered against Tottenham Hotspur in August 2022.
3. Diogo Jota – Portugal
Diogo Jota, a Liverpool and Portuguese winger, was projected to play for Portugal in the World Cup after a fantastic 2021/2022 season with the Reds.
However, the 25-year-old suffered a calf injury against Manchester City on October 16, ruling him out of the world’s biggest football festival.
4. Paul Pogba – France
Paul Pogba, one of France’s primary stars at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, will miss the tournament owing to a ruptured meniscus suffered in a pre-season game for Juventus in July.
5. Reece James – England
Chelsea’s right-back has yet to recover from a knee injury sustained in a UEFA Champions League group stage encounter against AC Milan in October, putting the Chelsea defense in chaos.
Gareth Southgate has stated that he has no intention of jeopardizing his selection in the Three Lions group.
6. Georginio Wijnaldum – Netherlands
The Roma and Netherlands midfielder has been sidelined with a tibia fracture for several months and will miss out on the competition.
Gini played a vital role at his former club, Liverpool during the team,s comeback against against Barcelona in the semi-finals of the UCL back in 2019.
7. Ben Chilwell – England
Ben Chilwell sustained a hamstring injury versus Dynamo Zagreb in November 2022. Chelsea has announced that the England international will miss the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
8. Jesus Corona – Mexico
Mexican goalkeeper, Jesus Corona will miss the World Cup owing to an ankle injury (fractured fibula) suffered during a training session with Sevilla in August.
9. Mikel Oyarzabal – Spain
Spanish coach Luis Enrique will have to cope without one of Spain’s stars from last year’s EURO 2020.
Mikel Oyarzabral had an anterior cruciate ligament injury in March and has not played since.
10. Timo Werner – Germany
Timo Werner, an ex-Chelsea winger, has been ruled out with an ankle injury sustained in the 13th minute of Red Bull Leipzig’s UCL match against Shaktar Donetsk on November 2020.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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