The stars who will be absent in South Africa

| Friday June 4, 2010 00:00

Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina)On current form, Cambiasso is arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world. His form for Inter Milan in the just-ended season was amazing especially in the UEFA Champions League where he managed to tame some of the most skilful players in the world notably his fellow country man, Leonel Messi. But this has not convinced Argentina coach, Diego Maradona who did not even call him for the provisional 30-men squad. He could have added stability to the attack-minded side.

Mohammed Aboutrika (Egypt)One of the best players in Africa, Aboutrika has once again missed the world's biggest football event after his country, Egypt failed to qualify for the World Cup. The Al Ahly midfielder was one of the star performers at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup where his side squared up against the likes of the world's top ranked side, Brazil as well as Italy. The gifted midfielder will surely be a missing link when other African sides line up in South Africa.

Ronaldinho (Brazil)Ronaldinho remains the biggest omission from the World Cup after coach  Dunga failed to pick him for this year's tournament. His form was at one point way below par especially during his first season at AC Milan after arriving from Barcelona. But the skilful star hit a rich vein of form this season although it was well below what he used to be during his days at Barcelona. With AC Milan struggling to match their rivals in the league, Ronaldinho tried hard to make an impression and although many were starting to believe that he was going back to his best, Dunga was not impressed. Football lovers will mostly miss his sublime skills that used to thrill even the opposition.

Javier Zanetti (Argentina)Arguably the most consistent player today, Zanetti will once again miss the World Cup. Zanetti missed the 2006 World Cup in Germany but was constantly part of the team during the qualifiers. It was a shock to see both him and Cambiasso not even making the provisional squad. Zanetti could have provided cover at the back especially at left back where the trusted Gabriel Heinze can sometimes be shaky. Zanetti's performances in the UEFA Champions League could have easily made him fit into any team perfectly but it was not to be with Maradona.

David Beckham (England)Beckham could regret the day he took a decision to return to AC Milan on loan from his MLS side, LA Galaxy although the move could have equally improved his chances of making it into coach Fabio Capello's side. Beckham injured himself when he featured for AC Milan, which ruled him out of the World Cup. Although his performances can no longer be compared to when he was still at Real Madrid and Manchester United, just his image would have boosted the World Cup. He is arguably the most popular football player in the world still playing today. He will be sorely missed for his magnificent crosses as well as his trademark free-kicks, which would have boosted England who desperately need to win this year's event.

Michael Essien (Ghana)Essien failed to recover from the injury that he picked during the 2010 AFCON in Angola and this has prompted the Ghanaian technical team to leave him out of the squad. Although they had initially thought he would recover and make it to South Africa, it appeared the injury had not healed completely. He will be missed especially by the Black Stars, who remain one of Africa's hopefuls to go beyond the group stages of the tournament.

Petr Cech (Czech Republic)Chelsea goalkeeper, Petr Cech will be one of the best goalkeepers in the world missing from this tournament. He was once regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world by his former manager, Jose Mourinho. Czech Republic surprisingly failed to qualify for the tournament and with Pavel Nedved now retired, Cech surely would have been their star player.

Michael Ballack (Germany)Getting injured right at the end of the season before the World Cup can be very frustrating and one would understand if the German midfielder wept. Ballack could not survive a tackle from Portsmouth midfielder, Kevin-Prince Boateng in the FA Cup final. The injury ruled him out of the world biggest football showpiece. He was the core of Germany's midfield, which also boasts talented players like Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Karim Benzema (France)French coach, Raymond Domenech made a surprise omission when he left out Real Madrid striker, Benzema. He did not have a good debut season at the Spanish club but many did not expect the striker to be omitted from the provisional squad. He failed to command a regular berth in Madrid's line up as Christiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain did well. But it was a huge surprise for him not to make the cut especially since Domenech picked struggling players like Thierry Henry and Djibril Cisse. Domenech might regret the day he omitted the striker if Henry and Anelka fail to click. 

Guiseppe Rossi (Italy)Rossi's decision to play for Italy ahead of his country of birth, USA, has come back to haunt him. The youngster, who was one of the star performers at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup despite Italy failing to make it to the knockout stages, has been left out by coach, Marcelo Lippi. Rossi who is well known for long-range efforts was born in the USA but chose to play for Italy. With modern strikers having resorted to scoring through simple shots and tap-ins, Rossi would have shown the whole world how beautiful a goal can be scored from long range. The youngster however did not have a good season at Villarreal as he struggled with injuries and form.