10 Great Players Who NEVER Win the World Cup

The FIFA World Cup. The most prestigious honour any footballer will gain in their playing career. Names like Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Matthaus, Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, Xavi and Pirlo have lifted the golden trophy aloft. Other players in the same class as those mentioned earlier would look with great envy as they never won football's coveted prize. Here are the ten great players to have never won the World Cup. (No Active Players on this list).

OLIVER KAHN

Germany has produced great goalkeepers like Sepp Maier and Manuel Neuer in their history. Oliver Kahn is also in the same bracket as the two mentioned before, possibly being Germany's best between the sticks. Unlike Maier and Neuer, Kahn never won the World Cup. Capped 86 times by Die Mannschaft, Kahn was in the German setup for eleven years between 1995 to 2006, winning the European Championship in 1996. Surprisingly, Kahn was Germany's first-choice keeper in three tournaments. One of those tournaments was the 2002 World Cup in South Korea/Japan. Putting the best performance in a World Cup for a goalkeeper, Kahn kept five clean sheets as he captained Germany to the World Cup Final, losing out against Brazil 2-0. Kahn's efforts landed him the Best Goalkeeper and Player of the tournament, the first and only keeper to win the Golden Ball. One of the best keepers of his generation, Kahn was a menace to opposition strikers, whether it was for Germany or Bayern Munich. It's just a shame he never won the Gold trophy.

ZICO

If someone mentioned a great Brazilian player, many of those players have won the World Cup, which makes Zico a black sheep. The face of Brazil during the 1970s and 80s, Zico was a classic playmaker, renowned for passing, finishing and ability to score from free kicks, with official records stating he scored 101 free kicks. Dubbed "The White Pele", Zico is a legend for Brazilian side Flamingo, scoring 393 goals. Despite being compared to Pele, Zico never won the World Cup, let alone make the Final. Zico is fifth among Brazil's all-time leading scorers with 48 goals in 71 caps. Zico played in three World Cups, the 1982 tournament being the most memorable. Part of the Brazil squad in the 1982 World Cup, which contained Socrates and Falcao. They captured the hearts of viewers with their playing style. Their lack of pragmatism was their undoing as they faced Italy in the second group stage. A World Cup classic, Italy came out on top, winning 3-2. The 1982 side is still widely remembered in Brazil. However, they and Zico wished they got the trophy.

LUIS FIGO

One of the faces of Real Madrid's Galacticos during the early 2000s, Luis Figo was one of the best players in the world at his peak, winning the Ballon D'or in 2000 plus countless honours with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Part of the Portugal generation of the 1990s and 2000s that brought Portuguese football to the wider world with other players like Rui Costa, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco. Capped 127 times for 'Os Navegadres', scoring 32 times, Figo played in two World Cups, with the 2006 World Cup being the most notable. In the last hurrah of the golden generation, Figo and Portugal matched their best showing in the tournament, reaching the semis in the 2006 edition in Germany, losing to France 1-0. Although Figo and his team failed to deliver, their legacy lives on in future Portuguese generations, led by Cristiano Ronaldo. He also campaigned for the President of FIFA in 2015. 

PAOLO MALDINI

With Seven Scudettos and five Champions League titles over twenty-five years with AC Milan, Paolo Maldini is widely considered one of the greatest defenders of all time due to his successful playing career, leadership, technical and defending skills. Whilst he was very successful with Milan, it was a struggle when Maldini wore the blue of the Italian National Team. Making his debut for the Azzurri in 1988, Maldini played 126 times for Italy, becoming Italy's all-time appearance holder. Eventually, he now sits behind Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon. Maldini played in four World Cups, his first being the 1990 edition in Italy. Maldini and Italy could not win on home soil, losing in the semis against Argentina on penalties. Unfortunately for Maldini, there was more heartache. Playing every game of the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Maldini's prowess led Italy to the World Cup Final but lost again on penalties. This time against Brazil. He would later play in the 1998 and 2002 editions. Unfortunately, the Azzurri were knocked out early in the knockout stages. Maldini retired from international football in 2002, losing in both the World Cup and the Euro Final. 

JOHAN CRUYFF

Johan Cruyff was not just one of the greatest players but also one of the greatest football minds, having a successful career as a manager. Known as the Godfather of 'Total Football', Cruyff revolutionized football in the 1970s with Ajax, winning three European Cups with the Amsterdam club and a league title with Barcelona. Cruyff played just 48 times for the Netherlands, scoring 33 times. With his iconic number 14 jersey, Cruyff was the captain of the 1974 Dutch World Cup team under Rinus Michels. The Oranje breezed through whoever they played against during the tournament. Playing against Uruguay, Sweden, Argentina and Brazil, Oranje scored 14 goals in six games on their route to the Final. They played arch-rivals West Germany in the Final. Coming as favourites, Cruyff's Netherlands fell short, losing 2-1. Widely considered the best side not to win the World Cup, the Dutch 1974 side has an enduring legacy, which was seen later on in Spain winning the World Cup in 2010, and Barcelona under Pep Guardiola. Cruyff, meanwhile, was awarded the Best Player of the tournament. That will be the only World Cup tournament of his career. 

MICHEL PLATINI

Michel Platini is arguably France's best player ever. He's also widely known for his time as President of UEFA, which ended in disgrace. However, Platini was one of the greatest players of the 1980s, winning three league titles, a European title, and three Capocannoniere (Serie A top scorer). For Les Bleu, he won 71 caps over eleven years, scoring 41 times, becoming France's all-time scorer. Thierry Henry later broke the record in 2008. Platini captained France to their first major title, winning the European Championship in 1984 whilst winning the top scorer and best tournament player. In the World Cup, he was very unlucky, reaching the semi-finals in the 1982 and 1986 editions. The most heartbreaking was the 1982 edition. France reached the semis, where they faced rivals Germany in a controversial game where German keeper Harald Schumacher collided with France player Patrick Battiston, knocking Battiston out cold. Schumacher went without caution, resulting in Germany winning the game on penalties.

GABRIEL BATISTUTA

Gabriel Batistuta was one of the greatest strikers of his generation, widely renowned for his powerful style of play and ball-striking ability from close or far distances. One of the best players during the 1990s, Batistuta scored over 300 career goals for both club and country. He scored 56 goals in 78 caps for Argentina, becoming their all-time leading scorer until Lionel Messi surpassed him in 2016. He's also Argentina's top scorer in the World Cup, scoring ten goals across three editions. His first edition was in 1994, scoring a hat-trick against Greece but was knocked out by Romania in the first knockout round. In 1998, La Albeceleste entered as one of the favourites with Batistuta as the main talisman. Though Batistuta scored five goals, Argentina could only reach the quarterfinals, losing to the Netherlands. That was the furthest Batistuta will get as his World Cup was short in 2002 as Argentina were knocked out in the group stage. He retired from international football after the 2002 tournament.

RAUL 

One of the all-time greats of Real Madrid, Raul Gonzalez had a trophy-laden career with Los Blancos, winning five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles and two Pichichi Trophies (La Liga top scorer). He is Madrid's all-time appearance holder with 741 appearances as well as being third in their all-time scorers with 323 goals. Those fortunes in Madrid were not seen in the red shirt of La Roja. Second in Spain's all-time scoring charts with 44 goals, Raul and Spain, at that time, usually disappointed in major tournaments despite the players they had. Raul played in three World Cups, the furthest he went with Spain being the 2002 edition, reaching the quarterfinals but lost to co-host South Korea on penalties. He played his last game for Spain in 2006, two years before Spain won Euro 2008 and the World Cup in 2010. 

ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO

The greatest player Ukraine has produced as an independent nation, Andriy Shevchenko was one of the most devastating strikers of the early 2000s with Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan and Chelsea. His best years were in Italy with Milan, where he spent eight seasons scoring 175 goals, winning the Serie A title, the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or. Shevchenko made his debut for the Ukrainian national team in 1995, four years after the country's independence in 1991. He went on to appear 111 times, third in Ukraine's all-time appearance makers and is Ukraine's all-time leading scorer with 48 goals. He led Ukraine to their first and only World Cup appearance in 2006, scoring twice as they reached the quarterfinals, losing to eventual champions, Italy.

ARJEN ROBBEN

One of the greatest wingers during the late 2000s and 2010s, Arjen Robben was one of those wide players that could strike or make a killer pass. Playing for Groningen, PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Robben won multiple league titles in the Netherlands, England, Spain and Germany, including winning the Champions League in 2013, scoring the winner in the Final. He was part of the 'Oranje' since making his debut in 2003, scoring 37 goals. He played his first World Cup in 2006, later playing in another two tournaments. The closest he got was in the 2010 World Cup, where the winger scored twice to take Holland to the Final. They faced Spain, Robben had a chance to score but scuffed his lines for Iker Casillas to save the shot. It will come back and haunt Robben and the Netherlands as they lost the Final 1-0. In the 2014 World Cup, the Dutch reached the semis, turning out to be Robben's final World Cup showing as he retired after the Netherlands failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.