1. George Best
In the 1966 World Cup qualifiers, the sublime Best inspired Northern Ireland to a position where a win in Albania would have taken them through to a play-off with Switzerland. A draw, however, dashed his hopes of playing a World Cup on the grounds he graced with Manchester United. In 1969, the year after Best was named European Footballer of the Year, Northern Ireland were tied with the USSR for the top spot in their qualifying group for the 1970 Mexico finals. After a draw with them in Belfast , Best missed the return through injury as the Soviets won 2-0 to qualify.
2. Bernd Schuster
The enfant terrible of German football , Schuster was touted as the next world star after helping West Germany win the 1980 European Championship in Italy. Unfortunately, 'The Blond Angel' ended his international career with only 21 caps after falling out with coach Jupp Derwall and team-mate Paul Breitner . Schuster made his name in Spain as a playmaker with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid and was named in a Uefa poll of 2004 as one of the finest European players of the past five decades.
3. Ladislao Kubala
Holding off other Barcelona greats Johan Cruyff , Hristo Stoichkov and Romario, Kubala was voted the Catalan club's greatest player in 1999, their centenary year. The striker has also been named the second best player, behind Alfredo Di Stefano, ever to represent Spain. Like Di Stefano, he played for three countries: he had fled both Hungary and Czechoslovakia when he was called up to the military . He played in the qualifiers for the 1962 tournament , but missed the finals in Chile through injury. He played for Barca from 1950 to 1963, scoring 243 goals and winning four league titles. He made it to the World Cup at last in 1978, as Spain coach.
4. George Weah
The only African to be named Fifa World Player of the Year , in 1995, Weah was spotted by Arsene Wenger and joined Monaco, in 1988, before moving to Paris St-Germain. At AC Milan he became a global superstar and helped them win the Serie A title in 199 6 and 1999. Despite funding the efforts of Liberia out of his own pocket, he couldn't inspire them to a World Cup, falling a point short of qualification for the 2002 finals. He recently turned to politics, making an unsuccessful bid for the Liberian presidency last year.
5. Tommy Lawton
As a teenager, striker Lawton was the Wayne Rooney of his day. He was a prolific goalscorer and inspired Everton to the title in 1939. But England didn't enter the three World Cups before the Second World War because they were in dispute with Fifa. After the war, a series of personal problems and calamitous career moves - he left Everton for Chelsea and then shocked everyone by joining Third Division Notts County - took their toll. Though he later starred for Arsenal, England manager Walter Winterbottom was unimpressed, casting Lawton into the international wilderness, causing him to miss the 1950 World Cup.
6. Ryan Giggs
Although captain of England schoolboys, Giggs was never eligible for the senior side as all his grandparents were Welsh and he was born in Cardiff . He was in the Wales side that lost to Romania in Cardiff in 1993, with Paul Bodin missing a penalty at 0-0 when a win would have booked a place at USA 94 . The Manchester United winger is the most decorated player currently in English football, with eight League titles , one European Cup and four FA Cup successes, but, now aged 32, seems destined to miss out on playing in a World Cup .
7. Alberto Spencer
Known as Cabeza Magica (magic head), the Ecuadorian holds the scoring record in the Copa Libertadores, South America's equivalent of the European Cup. With Everest (Ecuador) and Penarol (Uruguay) he won the title three times in the Sixties and the Intercontinental Cup twice, beating Benfi ca and Real Madrid. Capped for Ecuador and Uruguay, he was considered for England through his father's British ancestry. He now works for the Ecuadorian embassy in Uruguay.
8. Alfredo Di Stefano
The inspiration behind Real Madrid's five straight European Cups from 1956 to 1960 and voted Spain's greatest player, 'The Blond Arrow' was a powerful forward who played for three countries - his native Argentina, Colombia and Spain . He missed the 1950 World Cup in Brazil because Argentina refused to take part after their bid to be hosts was rejected . Di Stefano then played for Millonarios in Bogota and won four caps for Colombia before leaving for Spain. He was ineligible for the 1954 finals and Spain failed to qualify in 1958. Four years later, he was in the squad but didn't play due to injury. His record of 49 goals in European club competitions was broken by Real's Raul in 2005.
9. Eric Cantona
Known as 'King Eric' to Manchester United fans, the talented maverick was shown less deference by the French football authorities, who banned him from the national team for a year in 1988 when he compared coach Henri Michel to excrement. Cantona would have played in the World Cup in 1994 (the year he was named PFA Player of the Year) but France lost their final qualification game at home to Bulgaria to a last-minute goal when a draw would have seen them through. Following his 'kung-fu kick' in 1995, he was stripped of the captaincy and never played for France again.
10. Abedi Pele
African footballer of the year from 1991 to 1993, Pele made his name with Marseille as an attacking midfielder, winning four French titles and the man-of-the-match award in the 1993 European Cup final victory against Milan . Yet his country, Ghana, didn't qualify for a World Cup until now - eight years after he retired. He attended the Gleneagles G8 summit in 2005 as an ambassador for Africa.
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