FIFA 2018 World Cup: Top 5 players to miss Argentina's 23-man squad

#3 Ezequiel Lavezzi

Lavezzi has impressed in the Chinese league

Since swapping the plush environs of Paris for the lesser lights of China, Ezequiel Lavezzi has been banished to the international wilderness. In fact, the 33-year old hasn’t been seen in the sky blue colours of Argentina since the conclusion of the Copa America Centenario in July 2016.

However, the player has impressed with Heibei China Fortune. Lavezzi struck 20 times in 27 appearances for the club last year, finishing as the league’s second most prolific. In another 11 games this calendar year, he’s had a hand in 10 goals overall. He’s also maintained a fine fettle in the last 2 years.

In the twilight of his career, the former PSG winger is enjoying some of his best days in front of goals and could’ve been a useful asset in the 4-2-3-1 formation, Sampaoli’s emergency choice and a set-up he thrived in at the Centenario competition. But the former Chile gaffe instead gave the nod to Independiente winger Maxi Meza, who’s an untested quantity at the international level.