The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is a tournament like no other as it begins just a week after the domestic season was put on hiatus.
Unsurprisingly, this has led to a host of injury issues, given that a three-week injury can rule a player out of the World Cup entirely, when previously they would have had several weeks to recover before kick-off. sending the tournament.
There are no big names, but who are they? And which players are still struggling to prove their fitness?
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10 notable players excluded
Karim Benzema (France)
Benzema injured his left thigh while training in Doha on Saturday. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner suffered severe pain in his thigh during a sprint towards the end of the training session and, after undergoing an MRI, he was confirmed to have suffered a torn muscle which would require three weeks of recovery time.
Benzema opened up about his withdrawal in an Instagram post.
“I never gave up in my life but tonight I have to think about the team, as I always have,” he said. “So reason tells me to give my place to someone who can help our team have a great World Cup. Thank you for all your messages of support.”
Also missing for France are defender Presnel Kimpembe, goalkeeper Mike Maignan, midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante and just a few days ago striker Christopher Nkunku sprained his knee left.
Sadio Mané (Senegal)
Mane, 30, picked up the injury in Bayern Munich’s 6-1 win over Werder Bremen on November 8. He was substituted at 20 minutes, with the team describing it the day after the game as a fibula head injury to his lower right leg.
Despite the injury, Mane was included in Senegal’s World Cup squad and was expected to miss at least his first match of the tournament against the Netherlands on November 20. However, the team revealed at a press conference on Thursday that further scans of the two-time African Player of the Year showed he would need surgery and could not play in Qatar.
Timo Werner (Germany)
Werner has been ruled out with an ankle injury, his club RB Leipzig said on November 3. 0 win in the Champions League group stage against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday after picking up an injury in the 13th minute.
“This news is extremely bitter,” said German coach Hansi Flick. “I feel very bad for Timo personally as he is going to miss the World Cup which he desperately wanted to attend.”
Meanwhile, Marco Reus’ career has been marred by more injuries than most. After the 33-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker watched his German team-mates win the 2014 World Cup from home and missed out on Euro 2016 and Euro 2020, he now also has to sit out the Cup World Cup 2022 due to an ankle injury.
Florian Wirtz, 18, is also missing. He is considered one of Europe’s top young prospects but was ruled out for at least six months after tearing his ACL in his left knee in the first half of Leverkusen’s 1-0 defeat against rival Cologne in March.
Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands)
Wijnaldum’s participation in the World Cup came to an end after he fractured the tibia in his right leg in August. The midfielder was training with Serie A club AS Roma and although he was not included in Louis van Gaal’s Dutch squad for the Nations League matches in June, he was tipped to make the World Cup squad.
“Sometimes football can be s—,” said Roma coach Jose Mourinho. “In just two weeks, Gini has become one of us thanks to his human qualities [his football qualities we already knew]. Unfortunately, in a very unfortunate accident, he suffered a serious injury which will prevent him from playing for a long time.”
Diogo Jota (Portugal)
On Tuesday, Jota was ruled out with a calf injury suffered on October 18. The 25-year-old was taken out on a stretcher during stoppage time in Liverpool’s 1-0 Premier League win over champions Manchester City.
“Really not good news, yes he will miss the World Cup,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “Pretty serious injury to the calf muscle and now the process begins. That’s about it. Everything else will now follow in the next few days. Very sad news for the boy, for us too and for Portugal…. I don’t want to take time [his return]. It will be long.”
1:48
Rob Dawson thinks Callum Wilson’s call by Gareth Southgate is a surprise similar to James Maddison’s inclusion.
Reece James (England)
Chelsea defender James has not been included in England’s 26-man World Cup squad after suffering a knee injury against AC Milan last month. The 22-year-old was in a race against time to get fit and, in a statement on social media, James said he was “devastated” and added he “truly believes” he can help the Qatar team.
James flew to Dubai to undergo a specialist recovery program and had started running away from home at Chelsea’s Cobham base, but after regular dialogue between club doctors and the England medical team, the right-back was deemed too risky for his fitness to take to Qatar. .
Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell is also out for England.
Jesus ‘Tecatito’ Corona (Mexico)
Mexican coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino had hoped Tecatito could have gotten back into shape in time for the tournament in Qatar and included him in Sortingfrom the provisional list of 31 players two weeks ago. But Martino announced earlier this month that Corona would be ruled out.
The Sevilla player fractured his fibula and suffered ligament damage in his left ankle during a training session in August. Shortly after picking up the injury, the LaLiga club announced his recovery would be four to five months, making it unlikely he’ll be ready in time.
On November 5, Martino explained what had changed since he put Corona on the provisional list: “The decision was made because we had a triple communication with Jesus, where we spoke with the doctor, the preparer physics and myself. [Corona] told me directly that he was unable to fight for a [World Cup] place.”
Arthur Melo (Brazil)
Juventus midfielder Arthur, who is on loan at Liverpool, was out of action after sustaining a thigh injury in October. Arthur underwent surgery in London and is set to be out until the New Year after making just one senior appearance for the Reds.
Brazilian defender Diego Carlos is also missing after rupturing his Achilles tendon in Aston Villa’s win over Everton in August.
Giovani Lo Celso (Argentina)
Lo Celso suffered a hamstring injury which the midfielder required surgery for in Villarreal’s La Liga loss to Athletic Bilbao on October 30. The 26-year-old midfielder was substituted and scans confirmed he suffered a torn hamstring.
Spanish media reported that Lo Celso, who is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, had exhausted all possible options to be on the flight to Qatar, including consultations with specialists from different parts of the world for less invasive treatment.
Argentina are also missing strikers Nicolas Gonzalez and Joaquin Correa. Fiorentina’s Gonzalez suffered a muscle injury during Thursday’s training session, the Argentine FA announced, while Inter Milan’s Joaquin Correa was withdrawn with an undisclosed injury.
Amine Harit (Morocco)
One of Morocco’s most talented players, Harit was injured in his club’s last match before the World Cup. Marseille’s 3-2 Ligue 1 win over Monaco at the weekend saw the midfielder suffer a sprained cruciate ligament after colliding with Frenchman Axel Disasi.
Manager Igor Tudor said: “From what we know it’s a very big injury. He got injured just before the World Cup, we talked about it all week, I’m very sad.”
“As you can imagine, beyond the physical pain, it’s hard to see the World Cup dream slipping away hours before you actually live it,” Harit said.
1:48
Alphonso Davies loved returning to Bayern Munich to train as a World Cup qualifier with Canada.
10 notable players to watch with ongoing injury issues
Alfonso Davies (Canada)
Paulo Dybala (Argentina)
Son Heung-min (South Korea)
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
Raul Jiménez (Mexico)
Kalvin Phillips (England)
Raphael Varane (France)
Sardar Azmoun (Iran)
Ronald Araujo (Uruguay)
Joe Allen (Wales)
