5 top-class players who were never called up by their national teams

Bhargav
Steve Bruce is one of several big-name club players who never turned up for their national teams
Steve Bruce is one of several big-name club players who never turned up for their national teams

#3 Stefan Klos (Germany)

Stefan Klos
Stefan Klos

During a glorious stint with Borussia Dortmund, Stefan Klos kept an impressive 114 clean sheets in over 300 appearances for the club.

A two-time Bundesliga winner, Klos started for Dortmund in their 3-1 win over Juventus in the 1997 Champions League final.

The 49-year-old later moved to Scottish giants Rangers, where he won 10 titles, including four Scottish League honours. Despite his glittering club resume, however, Klos never made an international appearance for Germany.

That was because Klos was unfortunate to play in the era of three of Germany's finest goalkeepers - Bodo Illgner, who won the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Andreas Koepke, who played a key role in Germany's 1996 European Championships triumph, and Olivier Kahn, who was the team's first-choice custodian in three major international tournaments.


#2 Maxi Lopez (Argentina)

Maxi Lopez
Maxi Lopez

A two-time La Liga and Champions League winner with Barcelona, Maxi Lopez has as good a club resume as they come. However, the Argentinian striker never managed to break into an Albiceleste team boasting the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez over the years.

The 36-year-old, who is currently playing for Serie C side Sambenedettese, is in the final few years of his club career and is unlikely to appear for Argentina before he hangs up his boots.

His talent has never been in doubt, but inconsistency has often been his bane, a reason why he has never received an international cap.


#1 Gabi (Spain)

Gabi
Gabi

A bonafide Atletico Madrid legend, Gabi, much like his compatriot Mikel Arteta, enjoyed a stellar club career but never played an international game for Spain.

The defensive midfielder, who endured relegation with Real Zaragoza in 2008, expectedly missed out on a place in Spain's victorious European Championships team that summer.

After lifting the La Liga title with Atletico Madrid and narrowly missing out on the Champions League six years later, Gabi merited a place in Spain's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, that was not to be, as international football remained elusive for the 37-year-old.

Thanks to his exploits in that campaign, Gabi found a place in the La Liga and Champions League teams of the season even as world champions Spain endured a humiliating group-stage exit in Brazil.

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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh
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