Alexis Sanchez and Gareth Bale headline a host of big names who will be absent from next summer’s World Cup after their countries failed to qualify for the tournament.
Sanchez’s Chile lost 3-0 to Brazil and were then relying on results, which did not go there way, in other games for qualification.
Legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will join them watching from the sofa this summer after Italy were dumped out by Sweden.
And there are plenty of other big names that will not be playing in Russia.
Here, Mirror Sport picks an all-star XI from the players who won’t be featuring at the tournament.
GK: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy/Juventus)
The 39-year-old had planned to retire after the World Cup but he has decided to hang up his gloves following Italy’s play-off defeat to Sweden that reduced him to tears.
RB: Antonio Valencia (Ecuador/Manchester United)
A string of consistent performances at right-back led to Valencia being named players’ player of the year at Old Trafford last season but the 32-year-old could not inspire Ecuador to what would have been his third World Cup.
CB: Virgil van Dijk (Holland/Southampton)
Van Dijk has made no secret of his desire to leave St Mary’s but, if he is still there next June, he will miss the opportunity to showcase his talents on the biggest stage following Holland’s third-placed finish in UEFA qualifying Group A.
CB: Leonardo Bonucci (Italy/AC Milan)
The defender’s commitment to the cause was highlighted after playing with a broken nose in their World Cup play-off defeat to Sweden. However, his efforts proved in vain as the Azzurri crashed out.
LB: David Alaba (Austria/Bayern Munich)
A winner of six Bundesliga titles and the Champions League, Alaba’s international career has been less illustrious with Austria’s abysmal Euro 2016 campaign his only experience of a major tournament.
CM: Naby Keita (Guinea/RB Leipzig)
The Liverpool-bound midfielder will be fresh when he arrives at Anfield next summer after Guinea could not qualify from a group containing Tunisia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Libya.
CM: Arturo Vidal (Chile/Bayern Munich)
The key midfielder, who starred in the last two World Cups, was suspended for Chile’s final qualifier against Brazil and watched on powerless from Munich as his team were eliminated.
RW: Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid)
It has been a positive few years for Wales but the Euro 2016 semi-finalists were pipped to a play-off spot by the Republic of Ireland, meaning Bale’s wait for a first World Cup goes on.
LW: Arjen Robben (Holland/Bayern Munich)
A veteran of three World Cups, Robben announced his retirement from international football shortly after scoring twice against Sweden in the final match of Holland’s unsuccessful qualification campaign.
FW: Alexis Sanchez (Chile/Arsenal)
Chile suffered last-minute heartbreak as they were pushed out of a play-off place when Peru equalised against Colombia, meaning the Arsenal star will not be sprinting up the flanks for La Roja in Russia.
FW: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Borussia Dortmund)
Gabon have never qualified for the World Cup and the African country’s shortage of top-class players means talented forward Aubameyang may never have the opportunity to play at one.
Substitutes:
Jasper Cillessen (Holland/Barcelona)
Gary Medel (Chile/Besiktas)
Miralem Pjanic (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Juventus)
Marek Hamsik (Slovakia/Napoli)
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenia/Manchester United)
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Leicester)
Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Roma)
