10 players who were/are often overlooked by their national teams

#6 Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta was never deemed good enough for the Spanish national team

Mikel Arteta could be deemed as a victim of being in the wrong team at the wrong time. Arteta had represented Spain’s U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-21 sides and was touted to be a regular for the national side.

However, the emergence of Arteta as a top attacking midfielder coincided with the emergence of Spain as a footballing superpower. While some might deem that a match made in heaven, it was not the case for Arteta as he failed to win a single cap for Spain owing to the presence of Iniesta and Xavi.

The Spaniard spent 12 glorious years in England with Everton and Arsenal and functioned as the fulcrum of these sides on many occasions and has earned himself a place in the hearts of millions of Premier League fans worldwide. Now retired and with Manchester City as a coaching staff, it is cruel how one of the finest Premier League player never pulled on the jersey of his national side.