Today's stars travel to Russia hoping to seal a place among the greats, but many icons never get to taste that success. Here are some notable names

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  19Oliver Kahn | Germany

  One of the goalkeepers of his generation, the German conceded just one goal on the way to the 2002 World Cup final, but he was undone by one of the best strikers the game has ever seen in Ronaldo as his double fired Brazil to victory. Four years later, he was relegated to a backup role for Jens Lehmann but helped secure third place when he lined up in the win against Portugal.

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  18Wayne Rooney | England

  Although the striker ended his international career as England's all-time top scorer, his time with the Three Lions will go down for many as one of unfulfilled potential. He had controversial moments in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups as England continued to underwhelm.

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  17Ryan Giggs | Wales

  The Welsh winger had a glorious career at Manchester United, becoming a world-renowned figure in Sir Alex Ferguson’s team. But despite his 64 appearances for his national team, he never featured at a World Cup as they have not qualified for the finals since 1958.

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  16Michael Laudrup | Denmark

  A glorious club career took him to Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Ajax, winning league titles with each. He was important for Denmark in the 1986 World Cup until the early 1990s when a dispute with the coach saw him quit the team just before they went on to win Euro 92. He returned to help them to Confederations Cup success three years later. In 1998, he was part of the side that reached the quarter-final of the World Cup, losing to Brazil.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News