PERSPECTIVE: The World Cup & Stars Who Never Got There
- By Smolette Adetoyese Shittu-Alamu
Few days ago, the 23rd quadrennial World Cup finals got underway. Forty-eight countries are vying in a month-long football competition to become the next winners of the World Cup and football champions of the world. The history of the World Cup dates back to the year 1930. In that year Frenchman Jules Rimet, who had been FIFA’s President from 1921, introduced the tournament called the World Cup finals.
The first football competition among nations of the world therefore, came up in Uruguay in South America in 1930. Thirteen countries managed to assemble in Montevideo the capital, for the inaugural World Cup.
It was during the Great Depression years and so many European nations found it difficult to travel down to that South American country to participate in the inaugural edition. The 13 nations that assembled for the first ever World Cup were Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay – all from South America. Belgium, France, Romania and Yugoslavia came from Europe, while Mexico and the United States were from North America.
The tournament did not require any qualification process or procedure. Every country that was affiliated to FIFA by the late 1920s was invited to participate. But as pointed out, only 13 managed to get to Uruguay for the inaugural championship.
By the 2nd World Cup finals, which Italy hosted, a qualification stage had been introduced by FIFA. 32 nations entered for the competition.
In the end, 16 participated in the 2nd World Cup finals. Italy hosted and won. It also won the third World Cup in 1938. France hosted that year’s tournament. After those three World Cup finals, the 2nd World War prevented it from being hosted in 1942 and 1946, when the quadrennial Championships resumed in 1950 in Brazil, the host country lost 1-2 to Uruguay in the final match. Thus, by 1950, Italy and Uruguay each became two-time champions of football in the World.
The Jules Rimet Cup at stake was abinitio, supposed to be won for keeps by any nation that won it three times. With Uruguay and Italy having each won the trophy two times in the past, the two appeared set to win it for keeps within the first 24 years of the inauguration of the World Cup finals. However, West Germany, Brazil and England frustrated Italy and Uruguay’s wish to win the cup for keeps.
West Germany won the 5th edition after World Cup finals held in Switzerland in 1954. Brazil was to wehn in a back-to-back manner the 1958 edition held in Sweden and also the 1962 tournament held in Chile.
England hosted and won the 1966 World Cup. The Championship was already 40 years old when in June, 1970 Mexico hosted it. By then three countries had each won the Jules Rimet Trophy two times. They were Uruguay, Italy and Brazil.
Therefore, when Brazil and Italy got set to play the final match of the 9th World Cup tournament in 1970 it was crystal clear that the trophy was ready to be won for good. Brazil under the inspirational and commanding presence as well as the football skills of one man called Edson Arantes do Nascimento but simply Pele in football, stormed the Estadio Azteca venue of the final match in Mexico City.
In that game of football they humbled Italy by four goals to one in that battle of the giants. An era in the World Cup finals had closed with the winning of the Jules Rimet Cup for keeps by Brazil. FIFA had to introduce a brand new trophy for the 1974 tournament which West Germany hosted and won. It was the 10th edition of the competition. This time the cup was no longer meant to be won for keeps but be defended every four years.
When the on-going World Cup took off in Mexico last Thursday the 11th of June 2026, the 23rd edition of the quadrennial championships had started.
Football fans will enjoy the football festival for the next one month. The on-going tournament is being hosted by the three neighbouring countries that constitute the entire North American land mass, namely Canada, the United States and Mexico. Mexico City opened the stage for this year’s tournament. New York in the United States will close it on the 19th of July.
Well, our focus in this write-up is to bring out some of the great footballers the world has produced but who for one reason or the other never played in the World Cup finals. The first of these great football stars who never saw action at the World Cup was Alfredo di Stefano. He was an Argentine footballer who in life played for three different nations, namely Argentina, Colombia and Spain. In 1950 his home country Argentina qualified for the World Cup which Brazil was to host.
Argentina later withdrew from that year’s tournament because of a disagreement with Brazil’s Football authorities and Stephano could not play in that year’s world cup. For the 1954 finals in Switzerland, Alfredo chose to play for Colombia but FIFA denied him and said he was ineligible. Alfredo di Stephano moved to Spain and became an instant success. He became a Spanish citizen quite alright winning five European cup with Real Madrid. For the 1962 World Cup in Chile, injury sidelined him from playing for Spain. That was how the world could not see him at any World Cup finals. That was the Alfredo di Stephano story.
George Best of Manchester United and Northern Ireland was one of the extremely gifted footballers in history. He was a Man-U legend. George Best was a football icon in the 1960s and 70s.
But his country, Northern Ireland never qualified for the World Cup in the 60s and 70s. By the time Northern Ireland qualified for Espana ’82 which Spain hosted, Best was already 36 years old and had passed his prime.
The World Cup finals had lost him for good. Ryan Giggs was from Wales. He played football in England and became a Man-U icon. He is one of the most decorated footballers in history. Giggs won 13 Premier League titles. He remained a superstar at club level, was an international footballer for 24 years but his country never qualified for the World Cup and so Giggs never played at that level.
Another Welsh football star who became a Liverpool legend is Ian Rush. He was a most prolific goal scorer of all times. Somehow, Wales never qualified for the World Cup finals in his active playing days. The World Cup finals lose his football character and enthusiasm.
Eric Cantona was a French and English footballer who had it so great during his active playing days. His country could not qualify for Italia 90 and USA 94. Cantona was an “infant terrible of French football.” He fell out of favour with the French football authorities when his country hosted the World Cup in 1998 and denied himself of showcasing his skills at the highest level of football.
Valentino Mazzola was an Italian football icon, an extremely creative mid-fielder. He won four Italian league trophies with Torino in the 1940s. Italy qualified for the 1950 World Cup finals in Brazil. But the unfortunate happened. What was this? Valentino and his team mates lost their lives in a plane crash when returning from a football match in Lisbon, Portugal. The great mid-field generalissimo lost out of the 1950 World Cup.
Alberto Spencer was an Ecuadorian striker known as the “Magic Head”. Nigeria had his equivalent in Mutiu Adepoju who all called “Headmaster.”He represented Ecuador and Uruguay in international matches but never played at the World Cup. Spencer was a three time winner of the Copa Libertadores in South America.
Sjaak Swart played for Holland and won three European Cup and eight Dutch League titles with Ajax. He represented Holland 31 times but never was at the World Cup.
Jari Litmanen comes out as Finland’s greatest footballer. He was active from 1986 til 2008. He won the Champions League with Ajax in 1995, played for Barcelona and Liverpool. Finland did not qualify for World Cup finals during Jari’s peak as a football icon.
Another star the World Cup loss his skills is George Opone Weah. He is the only African footballer who ever won the Ballon d’Or. He did so in 1995.
The future President of Liberia had a wonderful club career with AC Milan, PSG and Monaco. During his active days that spanned over 15 years. Weah never played at the World Cup because his country never qualified for the big stage. When Liberia qualified for AFCON, Weah had to foot the entire campaign bills of the team. No wonder he became president of his country and the people continue to love him even after he left office as president.
Other African Stars who never got to the World Cup included Kalusa Bwalya of Zambia. At the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988, Kalusa led his team to beat Italy 4-0.
Ghana’s goalkeeper Robert Mensah never went to the World Cup because his country never qualified for the World Cup in the 1970s. He reigned as one of Africa’s best goal keepers in the 1970s. Osei Kofi was a dominant dribbler and goal poacher for Ghana Black Stars in the 1960’s. He was nicknamed “George Best of Africa” because he played about the same time George Best did in English football and in the same position.
Next is Abedi (Pele) Ayew, one of the greatest all-time African footballers. He wore the No. 10 jersey for the Black Stars. Abedi played for several European clubs before, like Lille, Lyon and Olympique Marseille in the 80’s and early 1990’s. He won the Champions League in 1993 with Olympique Marseille.
Nigeria had its own share of top football stars who never went to the World Cup. The first of them was Inua Lawal Rigogo. He was the great goalkeeper for Stationery Stores of Lagos and the Green Eagles of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Rigogo was a Rubber man in goal.
Another Nigerian goalkeeper who never went to the World Cup is Emmanuel Okala. He was a “Man Mountain” in goal for Nigeria for some several years. These two goalkeepers could have performed greatly at World Cup finals if their country was not only an up-and-coming football nation in their time.
We can also talk ot late Chairman Christian Chukwu and late Mudasiru Babatunde Lawal and the Mathematical Segun Odegbami. Each of them captained the Green Eagles at a time but never went to the World Cup in spite of their individual skills and brilliance. Reason?
Nigeria never qualified for the World Cup finals until 1994. Somehow, the trio played their best football from 1975 to 1985 These footballers played in an era where football had not gone professional in Nigeria. The Nigerian quintet of footballers could have come out as great stars the world would have respected a great lot if they had had the opportunity of playing at the biggest stage of world football.
There are a great number of footballers the world over who never got to the world cup finals.It wasn’t their fault. Only that Destiny did not design them to be there. Certainly between now and 19th July, there is so much enthusiasm to come from all the playing centres across the length and breath of the North American continent where football vibes have started to showcase themselves very well.
The opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the author. It does not represent the editorial position or opinion of OSUN DEFENDER.
