Top players to miss 2022 World Cup in Qatar

In the build up of the 2022 FIFA World Cup scheduled to start on 16 November in Qatar, several key players have been ruled out due to injuries. The leagues in Europe’s top tier will pause one week before the start of the World Cup and hopefully no other player is added to the list because it can change the aspirations of each country to have a successful tournament.

Georginio Wijnaldum: The 31-year-old left Paris Saint-Germain and joined AS Roma during the summer in search of more minutes to reach peak form ahead of the World Cup. Unfortunately Georginio Wijnaldum sustained a serious injury just days after his debut with the Serie A side and he was ‘emotional and sad’ after learning that he will not be included in the Netherlands World Cup roster.

N’Golo Kanté l: The Chelsea midfielder will be sidelined for four months after he underwent surgery on a hamstring injury on Tuesday. This means that N’Golo Kanté will miss the upcoming FIFA World Cup and he was a key player for France four years ago when they won the campaign for the second time in history.

Pedro Neto: Portugal has been deeply affected by injuries in the past month and Pedro Neto joins Diogo Jota in the injury list ahead of the World Cup. The Wolverhampton winger strained his ligaments in his ankle against West Ham and he has been officially ruled out of the campaign next month.

Ronald Araujo: The Barcelona product underwent surgery on a thigh problem last month and he is expected to be sidelined for three months. Meaning that Ronald Araujo will not be able to reach full fitness in time to be included in Uruguay’s World Cup roster and he is expected to return back to action early-next year.

“After intense weeks I want to tell you that thank God everything went well with my surgery,” he wrote on Twitter. “I’ve already started my recovery and I’m focused on coming back in my best shape. Thank you all for your support, blessings!”

Paulo Dybala and Ángel Di María: After suffering a hamstring injury last week, the Argentina medical staff traveled to Italy to keep a close eye on Paulo Dybala because he is at risk of missing the upcoming World Cup. The AS Roma ace suffered a quadriceps injury and he is using a speedy recovery method that was used by Rafael Nadal and Kobe Bryant in the past.

Another player from Argentina that is at risk of missing the upcoming campaign is Ángel Di María, who suffered a ‘low-grade’ hamstring injury last week with Juventus. The medical staff has also been monitoring his situation, but fortunately for Argentina he is expected to reach full fitness in time.