2022 World Cup: Players Missing Out Due To Injury

By Sports Recorder
November 20, 2022

As the World Cup kick off in Doha, Qatar today, here are some players who helped their teams qualify, are good enough to be in squad but then miss out due to an unfortunate injury.

Paul Pogba (France):

Perhaps the biggest name on the list, Paul Pogba – a World Cup and Euro winner with France, international star, and most importantly, vital member of the French team – will not be available this time as they look to defend their title in Qatar. Pogba underwent surgery in September for a knee injury and will not recover in time as France open their title defence on November 22 against Australia.

Sadio Mane (Senegal):

Senegal’s star forward Sadio Mane was on the roster for Qatar but had to be withdrawn two days before the tournament’s opening match on Sunday. Mane suffered a leg injury while playing for his club Bayern Munich earlier this month. The news did not go down well with the Senegalese fans as their hopes for the success of the Teranga Tigers lay on Mane’s shoulders. Senegal play their first match against the Netherlands on November 21.

Marcus Reus (Germany):

Marcus Reus has had his share of bad luck when it comes to the World Cup. The 33-year-old missed the 2014 edition due to injury, and his team went on to lift the trophy. Reus was set to make a comeback after injury and be part of Hansi Flick’s German side for the 2022 World Cup, only for him to aggravate the injury on his ankle and be ruled out yet again.

Diogo Jota (Portugal):

One of Portugal’s main men in attack, Diogo Jota would have been among the first names in his team’s starting XI during their World Cup campaign. But Jota suffered a calf injury representing his club Liverpool during a league match in October.

Amine Harit (Morocco):

Most of Amine Harit’s Moroccan teammates had already landed in Qatar when he sustained an injury that would put him out of the World Cup. The 25 years old Marseille forward suffered a knee injury in his last club game before heading out for Doha.

Arthur Melo (Brazil):

In one of those incidents when a player gets injured without even being involved in a match, the Brazilian midfielder injured his left thigh while training at his club Liverpool. The injury happened in October and will keep Melo out of the World Cup. The 22-year-old showed his despair in an Instagram post: “It comes just at a time when, after huge effort and lots of hard work, I was ready to establish myself in my new team and determined to fight for my dream of playing at the World Cup.”

N’Golo Kante (France):

France coach Didier Deschamps will have an N’Golo Kante-sized hole in his midfield when the team takes to the pitch against Australia in their tournament opener. The diverse 33-year-old midfield maestro suffered a serious hamstring injury last month, which has ruled him out until January.

Yuta Nakayama (Japan):

In addition to a long list of forwards and midfielders who have knocked themselves out of the World Cup, Japan’s Yuta Nakayama is one of those working in defence. The 25-year-old suffered an Achilles injury while playing for his English club Huddersfield Town earlier this month. Nakayama has earned 17 caps with Japan and was in coach Hajime Moriyasu’s Qatar-bound squad until he got injured earlier this month.

Jojo Wallacott (Ghana):

Ghana’s team can expect to find plenty of support in Qatar when they open their World Cup campaign against Portugal on November 24. However, they will be missing the defensive capabilities of their goalkeeper Jojo Wallacott who has been ruled out of the tournament with a finger injury. Wallacott plays club football at Charlton Athletic in England, and was left out of the 26-man squad less than a week before the start of the World Cup.

Giovani Lo Celso (Argentina):

Giovani Lo Celso, a vital part of the Argentinian midfield, was ruled out after a muscle tear last month. Lo Celso is so critical to coach Lionel Scaloni that he has said there is no replacement for the 26-year-old midfielder. “Numerically there is a replacement, but football-wise there is not,” Scaloni told reporters earlier this month.