Club World Cup 2025: 5 football superstars who will miss the tournament in USA
The expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the US boasts a $1 billion prize, but several star players will be absent. Mohamed Salah misses out due to Liverpool's qualification failure, while Barcelona's Lamine Yamal won't participate either. Cristiano Ronaldo is staying with Al Nassr, and Neymar is focusing on his fitness at Santos.
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
FIFA's inaugural expanded Club World Cup in the United States has $1 billion of prize money on the line but will be missing some of the game's star names. Here are five players who will not be lighting up stadiums across the US once it gets underway this weekend:Liverpool finished as English champions, but like Spain's Barcelona and Italy's Napoli, will not be at the Club World Cup, because of the convoluted qualification process. That means Egyptian winger Salah, who broke the Premier League record for goal involvements, with 29 strikes and 18 assists, misses out. After a tiring season in which he faded in the latter months Salah might not be too upset about having a summer off. The winger posted a photo of himself sunbathing by the beach on Instagram. However it will be a shame that African football icon Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk and others miss out on the chance of a potential rematch against their Champions League conquerors PSG.No player in world football this season has offered more excitement than Barcelona's 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal. The Spain winger has been in sensational form this season and is one of the candidates to win the Ballon d'Or. Yamal's thrilling dribbling and penchant for the spectacular make him one of the biggest draws in world football at the moment. He is often compared to former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, but because of the Spanish champions' absence, may have missed out on his only chance to face the Argentina star, who will be there with Inter Miami.Messi will also not go up against his long-time rival Ronaldo. The Portuguese striker, 40, was reported to be looking for a way to play in the tournament. FIFA presid e n t G i a n n i Infantino had s u g g e s t e d Ronaldo might m o ve f r o m Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr to a team who had reached the event, saying that 'discussions' were being held over it. Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo, who won the Nations League with Portugal last weekend, indicated after the game, however, he was set to stay at Al Nassr.Brazilian icon Neymar struggled with injury at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and returned to Santos in January 2025, hoping to get fit and firing ahead of next summer's World Cup. The 33-year-old forward, despite fading with age, is still one of the biggest names in the game and his absence is also a blow in a commercial sense. With organisers struggling to sell tickets, Neymar's presence would have been a boon.Champions League semi-finalists Arsenal are another team to miss out and after finishing the season trophyless, the Club World Cup would've been a chance to win some silverware. England international Saka's only club trophy, excluding the FA Community Shield, was an FA Cup win with Arsenal in 2020. For a player of his quality, who has spent six seasons playing regularly at the top level, Saka could do with expanding his medal collection. Arsenal will be disappointed to miss out on the prize money too, as they try to overhaul Liverpool and Manchester City, who have dominated the English game in recent seasons.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
Al Ahly, Inter Miami draw in goalless FIFA Club World Cup opener
Miami, June 15 (UNI) Egypt international forward Trezeguet missed a first-half penalty as Al Ahly drew 0-0 with Inter Miami in the opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup here. Al Ahly looked more dangerous early at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami but the Cairo-based side was denied by a series of fine saves from Oscar Ustari on Saturday. First, the veteran Argentine goalkeeper kept out an attempt from Wessam Abou Ali after a swift counterattack and then he parried away Emam Ashour's goal-bound effort following a driving run from Trezeguet. Al Ahly suffered a blow in the 14th minute when Ashour was forced off following a collision and replaced by Zizo. The midfielder's exit briefly appeared to spark life into the Major League Soccer outfit and Lionel Messi had his team's first clear chance shortly after, sending a free-kick just over the bar. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner then delivered a defense-splitting pass for Noah Allen, only for the defender to be beaten to the ball by the onrushing goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy. Inter Miami was lucky not to go 1-0 down in the 30th minute when Abou Ali slotted the ball into the back of the net only to be flagged for a marginal offside. The latter went close again with a dipping 30-yard free-kick that Ustari somehow managed to tip over the bar. Inter Miami had Ustari to thank once more when he saved from point-blank range following Achraf Dari's header. Zizo was causing Inter Miami problems with his clever runs into space and the Egypt international earned his side a penalty when he was brought down in a clumsy challenge from Telasco Segovia. But Ustari was up to the challenge, diving to his right to keep out Trezeguet's spot-kick. Inter Miami emerged from the halftime break with renewed verve and El Shenawy did well to smother Tadeo Allende's powerful attempt from inside the six-yard box. Messi looked more threatening as the game progressed as the Florida club began dictating terms. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star forced another smart save from El Shenawy with a venomous effort from the edge of the 18-yard box before curling a low 35-yard free-kick around the well and into the side netting. Fafa Picault replaced Allende in the 81st minute and he made an immediate impact, latching onto Messi's cross with a header that was tipped over by El Shenawy. Inter Miami was desperately unlucky not to break the deadlock in stoppage time as El Shenawy palmed over Messi's 30-yard shot before showing sharp reflexes to keep out Maximiliano Falcon's header. Inter Miami's next match will be against Porto in Atlanta on June 19 while Al Ahly will face Palmeiras in New Jersey the same day. UNI/XINHUA BM
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
"Indian Batting Not Really Very Solid": Ex-Star's Honest Admission Ahead Of England Test Series
Former India men's batter WV Raman stated it will be interesting to see where KL Rahul, the team's most experienced batter on the upcoming Test tour of England, will bat in the lineup, given his skillset of making runs irrespective of being moved up and down the batting order. With Rohit Sharma retiring from Tests, and barring any last-minute surprises, Rahul is all but certain to be the opener alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. It also helps that Rahul, who has 58 Test caps, made an assured 116 and 51 for India A against England Lions in the second multi-day match in Northampton. Though there's a school of thought which feels that number five is where Rahul could add solidity, Rahul's experience, patience and ability to stay put against the moving ball, as well as guide young Jaiswal in navigating difficult situations in England make him an ideal fit as the top of the order. "K.L. Rahul will obviously need to step it up because he's the most experienced of the lot, and he's also been around for a long time. He's got the temperament and he's performed well in all the three formats for India in the past. So, there'll be a lot of expectations as far as K.L. Rahul is concerned." "It is going to be very interesting as to where he's likely to be slotted right through the series, because we've seen K.L. Rahul going up and down the order in almost just about every format. The beauty of it is that he keeps getting runs as well." "But I think they (Indian team think-tank) need to try and have a very clear idea of who's going to be batting where right through the series, because in a five-match series, you'll have the opportunity of sussing things out and also trying to zoom in on the best possible combination that you could play for the later half of the series where things really hot up," said Raman to IANS in an exclusive interaction organised by Sony Sports Network. On the other hand, young in-form left-handed batter B Sai Sudharsan is being looked as the front-runner to bat at number three, though Raman felt unsure of him being included in playing eleven for first two games in Leeds and Birmingham. "I wonder if he'll be playing in the first place in the first two Test matches, because the batting order that I have in my mind does not feature him. But the team management may think otherwise. They may even thrust him up the order. They'll perhaps give him the chances because he's in good nick, and he's also shown good temperament." "But as far as he's concerned, he's a guy who's had a feel of the English conditions by the way of playing in the English county seasons in the past. He's got a good temperament, and is someone who's a quick learner. I'm sure that if he gets a string of opportunities, he'll definitely perform as he's done in the past in every particular level that he's played so far," he added. Though England's bowling attack for the first Test looks thin with injuries to Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson, Raman cautioned that a not-so solid Indian batting line-up can't afford to take the hosts' bowling line-up lightly in pacer-friendly conditions in Leeds, when the first Test starts on June 20. "See, let's not take the other seamers lightly, because they have played all their cricket under those conditions, and they know what to do. They may not have really picked up a lot of wickets in international cricket or in Test cricket. But they know what it takes to pick up wickets in English conditions, and let's not underestimate Chris Woakes. He is a good bowler and (Jamie) Overton can be good as well on his day." "They also have (Brydon) Carse, who is also a handful when the conditions are right. So if the conditions are right and if the English batters put enough runs on the board, I think they do have the wherewithal to challenge the Indian batters. Let's not forget that the Indian batting is also not really very solid. Yes, there is a lot of talent, but it remains to be seen how they handle tougher conditions." "That is something that will give even the current England bowling attack a lot of encouragement. To back all these fast bowlers, you always have the skipper, Ben Stokes, who has the knack of picking up wickets at the right time, and that's another thing they will be banking on," he concluded. The much-anticipated India tour of England, starting from June 20, will be shown live and exclusive on the Sony Sports Network channels.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
New Inter Milan coach Chivu: Club World Cup is chance to shake 'disillusionment' from UCL final loss
Cristian Chivu believes the current Inter Milan squad should be remembered for much more than its historically lopsided loss in the Champions League final. The new manager also says the FIFA Club World Cup is an opportunity to alter the narrative of Inter's current campaign while he gets a head start on next season. Chivu praised his new players Saturday during his introductory news conference with Inter Milan, which will begin Club World Cup play in Southern California on Tuesday. He also realises that many of those players are still reeling from their 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain last month. 'Of course, there is disillusionment (over) what happened at the end of the season,' Chivu said. 'The expectations were high. But what I try to tell them is that the road, the thing that they have done, it's something special, it's something amazing. Of course, the objective is important to be reached, but we don't have to forget the journey, because the journey is very important.' Inter's loss in Munich — the largest defeat in the 70-year history of major European finals — was followed three days later by coach Simone Inzaghi's exit for a lucrative job at Saudi club Al-Hilal. But Inter's season isn't over. The first 32-team Club World Cup provides an opportunity for the 44-year-old Chivu — the longtime Inter defender who then spent six years coaching the Nerazzurri's youth teams — to begin work several games early in the top job. 'It's still the season – last season,' Chivu said with a grin. 'It's not a new season, so we are here to do our best. ... I think we need to honor this competition, because this is what a team should do when you can represent your team in this kind of competition. There are only 32 teams in the world represented here, and this is a proud moment for world soccer.' Chivu spoke to the media at the team hotel for the first time since Inter's brief coaching search brought him back to the club last Monday. Inter begins Club World Cup play Tuesday against Mexico's Monterrey at the historic Rose Bowl in nearby Pasadena. Also read | Iran forward Taremi forced to miss FIFA Club World Cup 2025 opener due to Iran-Israel conflict Inter chose Chivu despite his lack of managerial experience. He had never been a top-level coach until last February, when he left Inter's under-19 team and took over at Parma, which avoided relegation during his 13 matches in charge of the 16th-place club in Serie A. Inter reportedly considered Como's Cesc Fabregas, Marseilles' Roberto De Zerbi and Genoa's Patric Vieira in its search, but team president Giuseppe Marotta said Chivu was a frontrunner in the race from the start. 'This wasn't a fallback,' Marotta said through a translator in Los Angeles. 'Despite what's been said, there was no confusion. We made our choice quickly, within 24 hours. There were just some bureaucratic steps to complete.' Chivu said he had to accept Inter's call when the job was offered to him after developing a deep bond with the club. He also knows the particulars of Inter's style well enough to coach the current team in the U.S. before making any possible changes for next season. His 33-man roster for the Club World Cup includes most of the key players from the Champions League run, along with summer signings Luis Henrique and Petar Sucic, but without the likes of departing striker Marco Arnautovic. 'I know this club, and I've been here before, for many years,' Chivu said. 'In the time I spent with the under-19s, I spent a lot of time with these guys, so I know them. I don't know if it's difficult for them to call me Mister, or to call me by my name. I know what kind of human quality I have inside this dressing room, and what I can give.'
