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Club form does not always translate to success at international level. And sometimes, however good the player, things just don’t quite work out.
International football is not always a step up, but it is a different challenge. Depending on the team in question, it can involve playing with better players. Often in another formation or system, too.
Some adapt brilliantly. Others struggle. But on occasions, it is not the fault of the player. For a variety of reasons, footballers are often not handed the opportunities they deserve at international level.
Over the years, there have been many examples of players underused by their national teams. Here, a look at some high-profile examples…
32. Manfred Burgsmuller
A legendary striker for Borussia Dortmund in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Manfred Burgsmuller was virtually ignored by West Germany during that time.
Burgsmuller hit 158 goals for BVB in 252 games between 1976 and 1983, but was capped just three times in 1977 and 1978. Although he did not score in any of those matches, he hit eight in as many games for West Germany B between 1975 and 1978.
31. Ian Callaghan
Ian Callaghan is Liverpool’s record appearance holder, having played 857 games for the Reds between 1960 and 1978, but the midfielder was capped just four times by England.
Part of the 1966 World Cup-winning squad, Callaghan played against France in the group stages but the midfielder had to wait over 11 years to win another cap. As a squad member in 1966, he did not receive a medal but was awarded one in 2009 following a campaign led by the Football Association.
30. Juninho Pernambucano
A star of the Lyon side which won seven Ligue 1 titles in a row in the 2000s, Juninho Pernambucano was one of the world’s best midfielders at that time.
But he missed the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 Copa America due to a knee injury and although he featured in the 2005 Confederations Cup win and played at the World Cup in 2006, he was too often a peripheral figure. He won 40 caps overall.
29. Alfredo Di Stefano
Alfredo Di Stefano is one of the greatest players of all time and the Argentine legend transformed the fortunes of Real Madrid in the 1950s and 1960s.
But Di Stefano played just six times for Argentina. Not called up until 1947, he helped the Albiceleste to the South American Championship, but was denied the opportunity to play a World Cup in 1950 as Argentina withdrew due to player strikes and a dispute with the Brazilian Football Federation. He was later banned from Argentina duty after turning out for a Colombia XI and went on to represent Spain. He never played in a World Cup.
28. Les Ferdinand
Perhaps penalised for playing much of his career outside of England’s traditionally biggest clubs, Les Ferdinand won just 17 caps for the Three Lions between 1993 and 1998.
At QPR and Newcastle, Ferdinand was one of the best strikers in the country, but found opportunities scarce in a golden era for English forwards. He moved to Tottenham in 1997, but suffered injuries later in his career. In total, he scored five times for England.
27. Antonio Conte
An all-action midfielder for Juventus between 1991 and 2004, Antonio Conte made over 400 appearances for the Bianconeri and won a string of titles in Turin.
But Conte was rarely first choice for Italy, making just 20 appearances for the Azzurri. He was in the squads which finished as runners-up at the World Cup in 1994 and at Euro 2000, when he scored a brilliant bicycle kick against Turkey.
26. Alan Hansen
A solid and stylish defender for Liverpool in the 1980s, Alan Hansen made just 26 appearances for Scotland in an underwhelming international career.
Hansen was picked for the 1982 World Cup, but found himself left out by Alex Ferguson in 1986, with Aberdeen pair Willie Miller and Alex McLeish the first-choice pairing. His attitude towards Scotland was questioned and he made his final international appearance in 1987.
25. Victor Valdes
Victor Valdes was first called up by Spain in 2005 but did not play and was ignored after that until 2010 – despite his impressive club form at Barcelona.
But Valdes was included in Spain’s 2010 World Cup squad by Vicente del Bosque and ended up with a winners’ medal in South Africa. Valdes was behind Iker Casillas in the pecking order, though, and played just 20 times between 2010 and 2014.
24. Enrico Chiesa
Enrico Chiesa was one of Italy’s best strikers in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the former Parma and Fiorentina forward found opportunities scarce with the Azzurri.
Up against some serious talent in the shape of Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero, Christian Vieri, Fabrizio Ravanelli, Pierluigi Casiraghi and Filippo Inzaghi among others, Chiesa made just 17 appearances for Italy and scored seven goals.
23. Duncan Ferguson
Duncan Ferguson is an Everton icon following his two spells at Goodison Park as a player and one of the best Scottish footballers to have played in the Premier League.
However, he played only seven times for Scotland. Restricted by injuries initially, he refused to represent his country after 1997, partly due to his treatment by the SFA following a conviction for assault on John McStay, when a 12-game ban was added to his three-month prison sentence. He was asked to return by several managers, but never did and later said it was his biggest regret.
22. Iago Aspas
Consistently one of the best and highest-scoring strikers in La Liga, Iago Aspas had to wait until 2016 for his first Spain call-up and has not featured much since.
Included in the squad for the 2018 World Cup, the Galician scored a last-minute equaliser against Morocco in the group stage, but missed a penalty in Spain’s shootout loss to Russia in the last 16. Called up by Luis Enrique but later left out for four years, he returned to the international fold as a 35-year-old in 2023.
21. Ian Wright
One of the Premier League’s great strikers during his time at Arsenal, Ian Wright won 33 caps for England between 1991 and 1998, scoring nine goals.
Up against the likes of Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Les Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and later Michael Owen, competition for places was fierce at that time, but he was unfortunate not to feature more often for the Three Lions.
20. Gustavo Poyet
Gustavo Poyet was a fan favourite at Chelsea and also at Tottenham in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The Uruguayan attacker won the Copa America with the Celeste in 1995 and was voted as the best player in his position at the tournament. However, he won just 26 caps for Uruguay between 1993 and 2000, scoring three goals.
19. Marc-Andre ter Stegen
At times during his career, Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been one of the best two or three goalkeepers in the world – perhaps even the best.
Unfortunately for him, his international opportunities have been restricted by being behind Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer and the two engaged in a war of words in 2019. Ter Stegen is six years younger, though, so might get his chance to be first choice eventually.
18. Matt Le Tissier
Outrageously talented and a scorer of spectacular goals, Matt Le Tissier was dubbed “Le God” by Southampton fans and their affection was rewarded as he spent his entire professional career with the Saints.
That probably harmed his international aspirations and Le Tissier played just eight times for England. In the lead-up to the 1998 World Cup, he scored a hat-trick for England B, but even that did not earn him a place in the squad for France.
17. Guti
One of the most talented Spanish midfielders of his generation, Guti played only 13 times for La Roja between 1999 and 2005.
In and out of the Real Madrid team, Guti never became a regular for Spain either and did not feature in a major tournament for his country. He scored three goals in his 13 caps.
16. Fernando Redondo
Fernando Redondo is considered one of the best midfielders in Argentina’s history, but played only 29 times for the Albiceleste between 1992 and 1999.
Redondo refused a call-up ahead of the 1990 World Cup in favour of concentrating on his studies, but was a Copa America winner in 1993 and featured in every game at the 1994 World Cup. Controversially left out of the 1998 World Cup squad, he claimed coach Daniel Passarella had demanded he cut his hair. Despite his relative lack of appearances, the former Real Madrid midfielder was named in an all-time Argentine XI by AFA in 2015.
15. Andy Cole
Andy Cole was one of the Premier League’s best centre-forwards during his time at Newcastle and Manchester United, but he found opportunities few and far between for England.
One of a number of top-class strikers in England at the time, Cole played just 15 times for the Three Lions, scoring only one goal. His first four caps came under four different managers and he never went to a major tournament with England.
14. David Ginola
David Ginola was one of the world’s most exciting players in his prime, but the former Newcastle and Tottenham winger only played 17 times for France.
Ginola was blamed by France coach Gerard Houllier after defeat to Bulgaria saw Les Bleus miss out on the 1994 World Cup. The winger’s overhit cross had allowed the Bulgarians to break and score a late winner. Houllier said Ginola had committed “a crime against the team” and although he continued to play under Aime Jacquet, Ginola missed out on France’s 1998 World Cup win. Visibly upset as a BBC pundit, he said his dream had been stolen from him.
13. Michael Carrick
One of the best defensive midfielders of his generation, Michael Carrick made over 450 appearances for Manchester between 2006 and 2018.
Largely overlooked as a series of England managers picked Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in central positions with minimal success, Carrick brought balance to the team when he played. He won just 34 caps and was rarely a starter.
12. Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola was unfortunate to play in an era when Italy were blessed with some of the world’s best forward players.
During his Italy career, Zola had to compete with the likes of Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero. An unused substitute in the 1994 World Cup final, the former Chelsea attacker featured for the Azzurri at Euro 96 but retired from international duty in 1998 after being left out of the 1998 World Cup squad. He won 35 caps and scored 10 goals for Italy.
11. Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs is Manchester United’s all-time record appearance holder with an astonishing 963 competitive games, but the winger played just 64 times for Wales.
After making his international debut, Giggs missed 18 friendlies in a row before finally featuring in a game against Finland in 2000. Often criticised for choosing to sit out friendlies, he was considered as a disappointment by many fans as Wales failed to qualify for any tournaments during his time. He retired from international football in 2007, but played on with United until 2014.
10. Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema played 97 times for France, which is obviously quite a lot – but the former Real Madrid striker was not picked by Les Bleus during the best years of his career.
Benzema was excluded from the France squad following his alleged involvement in a blackmailing affair concerning international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena. He later said coach Didier Deschamps had given into pressure from racists and attacked FFF president Noel Le Graet. The striker returned to action with France in 2021 and won the Nations League, but missed the 2022 World Cup due to injury and was not invited back despite making a recovery. Later, he announced his international retirement.
9. Mario Jardel
Mario Jardel was one of the most prolific strikers in Europe between 1996 and 2002, scoring over 250 goals for Porto, Galatasaray and Sporting CP in that time.
However, he was picked only 10 times by Brazil, scoring just once. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said it was because he was a penalty-box player who needed to adapt. But Brazil also had the likes of Ronaldo and Romario, which made things tough.
8. Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes was one of the most talented players of his generation and the former Manchester United midfielder won 66 caps for England. But it could have been many more.
Scholes made his England debut in 1997 but decided to retire from international football in 2004, having been played repeatedly out of position on the left by Sven-Goran Eriksson to allow Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard to feature in the middle. He was later asked to return by both Steve McClaren and Fabio Capello, but declined their offers. Later, he regretted not having played at another World Cup.
7. Juan Roman Riquelme
Juan Roman Riquelme seemed certain to be Argentina’s number 10 when his former Boca Juniors team-mate Diego Maradona was appointed as coach in 2009. Instead, it was the end of his international career.
Riquelme and Maradona had been close, playing together briefly at Boca and famously sharing an embrace after Argentina’s gold medal success at Beijing 2008. But Maradona made a series of pointed remarks about Riquelme and his position following his appointment. Those offended the player and after 51 caps, he called time on his career with Argentina. A shame.
6. Bernd Schuster
Bernd Schuster won the 1980 European Championship with West Germany, but called time on his international career in 1984 following a series of disagreements with the German Football Federation.
Schuster was just 24 at the time and had won only 21 caps. His absence saw West Germany miss out on one of the best midfielders of the 1980s, but they still reached three World Cup finals in a row without him in 1982, 1986 and 1990.
5. Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle won 53 caps for England between 1979 and 1988, but Michel Platini said it should have been 100. Ruud Gullit claimed he had been born in the wrong country.
There was probably some truth in that. One of most technically gifted players ever to pull on an England shirt, Hoddle was used out of position by the Three Lions and rarely replicated his club form at international level. A missed opportunity.
4. Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona played 45 times for France, but the former Manchester United forward’s international career was brought to an end while he was at the peak of his powers.
Cantona’s last international cap came in 1995. After attacking a fan at Selhurst Park in a game against Crystal Palace, he was given a nine-month plan and in that time, a certain Zinedine Zidane had moved ahead of him. Cantona later said he would have played on until the 1998 World Cup in France, but never appeared again for Les Bleus and even supported England in later tournaments.
3. George Best
Due to the inferior standard of his international team-mates, George Best is said to have regarded his career with Northern Ireland as “recreational football”.
Best played just 37 times for his national team. Manager Billy Bingham considered bringing him back for the 1982 World Cup at the age of 35, but he had not played an international game for five years and had fallen into steep decline due to alcohol abuse by then.
2. Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff led a memorable Dutch team to the World Cup final in 1974 and on the way there, he scored twice in a 4-0 win over Argentina.
Four years later, he was absent as the Netherlands reached the final again, only to lose this time to Argentina in Buenos Aires. Cruyff later revealed he had not wanted to travel after a kidnap attempt on his family in Barcelona. He played just 48 times for his national team.
1. Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio is probably Italy’s greatest ever player and it is shame that he is remembered by so many for his missed penalty against Brazil in the 1994 World Cup final.
Baggio’s miss meant Brazil were winners, but he had dragged Italy through the tournament and was not fully fit for the final. And although he returned in the next World Cup, he was left out of several tournaments. He won 56 caps in total, but it should have been many more.
