5 great players who could have won the World Cup had they represented a different country 

#1 Lionel Messi

Leo Messi

The most prominent name on the list is arguably the greatest player of all-time, Lionel Messi. Messi, who has accomplished everything he can in club football with Barcelona, couldn't replicate his success in the international scene as he failed to win a single tournament with Argentina in spite of scoring 65 goals for them.

Any team would have loved to have a player like Messi in their side but the 31-year-old represented the country of his birth, Argentina, instead of Spain. Since he held a Spanish passport, he was eligible to play for the European side but Argentina hosted a couple of friendly matches with Messi featuring in those matches right in time before he got the Spanish citizenship.

Since Messi represented Argentina in a competitive match at youth level, he became ineligible to play for Spain. Just imagine Messi playing for Spain, he could have easily played the 2010 World Cup for them and lifted the trophy.