5 players from Germany's 2014 World Cup-winning squad who are unlikely to feature in Russia 2018.

#3. Christoph Kramer

A surprise starter in the 2014 World Cup final

The surprise inclusion in the starting 11 for the World Cup final against Argentina, Christoph Kramer was a relatively unknown player who had been performing really well domestically for Borussia Monchengladbach and had made a name for himself in Germany for his sensible play and good reading of the game from a central midfield position. A product of the famous Bayer Leverkusen academy, Kramer was sent on loan to Gladbach, in what was a very productive spell for both club and player.

His World Cup final appearance ended in prematurley as he was forced off with concussion, he was replaced by Andre Schurrle during the first half of the game.

Following the World Cup, Kramer was called up on multiple occasions and made another seven appearances for the German National team, but with his last appearance coming in early 2016, there is reason to believe that Kramer might not make the final German squad that will go to Russia. Kramer will also be affected by the fact that several young players have earned call-ups in his position over the last year, such as Sebastian Rudy, Kerim Demirbay, and Leon Goretzka, all of whom have been solid over the past couple of years.