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Germany head Coach Hansi Flick has picked his 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, ending weeks of speculation about who will make the trip to Qatar.
Die Mannschaft will be missing a couple of players, but the former Bayern Munich manager has most of his key players available for selection. Experienced midfielder Toni Kroos, who left the national-team stage last year, will be among the big names missing from the squad.
Injuries will keep Timo Werner and Marco Reus from boarding the flight to Qatar as well.
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As is almost traditional now, Germany are among the favorites to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy in December. The 2014 champions have a squad with some of the most talented players in world football and a manager with a solid resume.
In previous editions of the FIFA World Cup, managers were required to select 23 players, but this year, the number has been increased to 26. Despite the increase, several talented players didn't make it into Germany's squad.
Flick had to drop a number of players from his squad for reasons best known to him. Some of these omissions were surprising for fans and pundits.
Without further ado, here is a list of the five best players that were left out of Germany's 26-man roster for the FIFA World Cup.
#5 Florian Wirtz
Bayer Leverkusen wunderkind Florian Wirtz is one of the most highly-rated youngsters plying his trade in Germany.
At the end of 2021, many believed he was guaranteed to be on the flight for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, the midfielder suffered an ACL rupture while playing for his club in a Bundesliga match against FC Koln in March. He has only just returned to team training.
Wirtz, 19, enjoyed a successful 2021-22 season prior to his injury, contributing seven goals and ten assists in 24 league appearances for his club. The youngster was also one of the first names on the team sheet for Bayer Leverkusen.
The decision to leave him out of the squad was reached by his advisors and Flick in order not to rush his rehabilitation.
Wirtz is a full Germany international, having been handed his debut by the current German head coach in 2021 aged 18. He has two assists for his country in four appearances. All of his caps for Die Mannschaft have come in World Cup qualifiers.
#4 Emre Can
Versatile midfielder Emre Can has also been left out of the squad to represent Die Mannschaft in Qatar. The 28-year-old Borussia Dortmund star is one of the surprise omissions from Flick's squad due to his experience and versatility.
Can has played 16 times for Borussia Dortmund across all competitions in the 2022-23 season and is one of their senior players. The former Liverpool man has been at Signal Iduna Park since 2020 and has been largely dependable for the German outfit.
Can is a national team veteran with 37 appearances to his name. He featured in UEFA Euro 2016 and Euro 2020, but was left out of the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His last appearance for Germany came in 2021.
#3 Julian Draxler
Julian Draxler is one of Germany's biggest "what-if" players. The 29-year-old SL Benfica midfielder was left out of his country's roster to compete for the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy in Qatar. He has not been a part of the national set-up since March 2022.
Draxler emerged as one of the most promising German players of his generation and quickly earned a move to European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain. However, he struggled for consistency in France.
The attacking midfielder joined Benfica on loan this summer and has featured nine times in all competitions for the Portuguese giants. He has one goal to his name since completing the switch.
Draxler has 58 caps to his name for his country. The former VfL Wolfsburg man was a member of the 2014 World Cup-winning squad and played in Euro 2016 as well.
He also captained his country to glory in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and featured in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
#2 Robin Gosens
Inter Milan full-back Robin Gosens is one of the surprise exclusions from Germany's 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup. The 28-year-old was a regular for Die Mannschaft after his debut under Joachim Low. He has featured under Hansi Flick as well, but will not be in Qatar.
Gosens has been at Inter Milan since January 2022 and has cemented his place in the Italian side's starting XI. He has made 17 appearances in Serie A and the UEFA Champions League this season, and has two goals. The wing-back has impressed during his time in Milan and was a shock omission from the roster.
Gosens has featured for his country on 14 occasions and was one of their better players at Euro 2020. The former Atalanta star notably featured in his country's last match before the World Cup, a 3-3 draw with England in September this year.
#1 Mats Hummels
Veteran Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels is one of the most decorated German defenders of this generation. The former Bayern Munich man was, however, left out of his country's squad to compete at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Despite the occasional dip, Hummels has been among the most dependable defenders in the Bundesliga. The Borussia Dortmund vice-captain has featured 18 times for the club in all competitions this season. His exclusion from the squad came as a surprise, given the 33-year-old's regularity with the squad.
Hummels has regularly featured for Germany since 2010, making 76 senior appearances. He has played in five major tournaments for his country and won the World Cup in 2014 with Die Mannschaft. His last appearance was at UEFA Euro 2020, and he has not played for his country under Hansi Flick.
