World Cups are made of drama, colour, glory, fame ... and it's natural that we associate them to particular teams and players. In 1958 it was Brazil and the impossibly young Pelé ... in 1966 it was England but the show-stealing Eusébio ... in 1970 it was Brazil and Pelé again, Maradona was 1986, and so on.
Many players have made their name and fame at World Cups. But there are so many great players who have missed their moment of global glory, have missed the chance to go down in World Cup history, perhaps due to injury, perhaps because of accidents of birth (born to represent small countries that could not qualify for the finals).
Alfredo di Stéfano was born in Buenos Aires on 4 June 1926. The so-called Blond Arrow actually played international football for three countries: Argentina (seven appearances), Colombia (four) and Spain (31, scoring 23 goals).
He was twice named European footballer of the Year (1957 and 59) and helped Real Madrid win five consecutive European Cups from 1956 to 1960. He was a player of great flair, strength and determination, and he had an almost uncanny eye for goal: in all, he scored an incredible 554 goals in 698 games during his career. But sadly, he never graced a World Cup.
Nor did George Best (born 22 May, 1946). The slight, nippy forward from Belfast was a thrilling player to watch ... and in the swinging sixties, by all accounts, a thrilling person to be with. His jinks and body swerves made his fame on the pitch, his fashionable good looks (he was known as 'the fifth Beatle') and readiness to party, his fame off it.
As one of his managers at Manchester United, Tommy Docherty, said: "George was a fantastic player and he would have been even better if he'd been able to pass night clubs the way he passed the ball." His dependence on alcohol proved to be his undoing; he died in November 2005.
But he was a highly respected footballer in his day, winning the European Player of the Year award in 1968, the same year that Manchester United, his team for six seasons (290 games, 115 goals) won the European Cup.
'Georgie' was a gem ... but one of the reasons that he did not conquer the whole world was that birth had him playing (37 appearances, nine goals) for world minnows Northern Ireland, which never qualified for the World Cup during his career
The African nations have often produced prodigious talents. It was only with the globalisation of the game in recent years, however, and the exportation of star players to Europe, that they began to be recognised internationally.
George Weah (born 01 October 1966) was one such player, helping AC Milan to their great triumphs of the 90s and winning the awards of African Player of the Year in 1989, 1994 and 1995, of European Player of the Year and FIFA Player of the Year in 1995 ... and of African Player of the Century in 1998.
This formidable centre forward of the old school would surely have been much more of a household name had he represented a country with a greater chance of taking part in the World Cup Finals. But his country of birth was Liberia.
If you would like to practise your English, try the following activites:
Putting dates in the correct order (easy)
Matching information about three famous players (medium)
Putting linking words into sentences (harder)
There are many more players who should have made more of a mark on world football via the World Cup Finals but didn't. Let us know the players who you think missed out, and why.
If you liked this article, read our article called 'Missing Men', about players who will be missing the World Cup 2006 in Germany.
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