FIFA World Cup 2018: Surprise omissions from the 23-man squads of the 6 favorites

The FIFA World Cup is the Beautiful Game's most prestigious tournament. In many ways, it is more than just a competition. It's a passion, an emotion for millions of players and fans across the world.

Featuring in one's country colors is something no player lucky enough to have experienced it will forget. 32 countries make it to the group stages of the World Cup, and each team is allowed to bring a squad of 23 players. This means that a total of 736 players will be a part of the upcoming World Cup. What this also means is that some popular names failed to make the final squad.

Let us take at the most shocking omissions from the final 23-man squads of the favorites:

#1 France

Karim Benzema, Anthony Martial, Dimitri Payet

It has been a while since Benzema last featured for France as he was embroiled in a scandal involving an alleged attempt to blackmail fellow Frenchman Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. It was still a bold decision for Deschamps to not pick the man who is on a high, having won three Champions League titles on the trot.

Anthony Martial had an impressive start in the Premier League with Manchester United last season. He was widely used as a "super sub" as he found the back of the net 4 times in the first 10 games, all of them as a substitute. However, the second half of the season was a disaster, and 'Tony' Martial found himself on the bench more often than not.

Dimitri Payet was the breakthrough player for France in Euro 2016. He was exceptional in the tournament and instrumental in guiding his country to the finals. After Payet's fallout with West Ham, the road went downhill for the talented winger. His poor form coupled with the plethora of options on the French wings led Deschamps to omit Payet from the 23-man squad.

#2 Brazil

Alex Sandro, David Luiz, Fabinho

David Luiz and Fabinho will both be disappointed with the fact that they will not be able to don the famous Brazilian yellow jersey in Russia

Alex Sandro is considered one of the best left-backs in Europe as is pretty evident from the number of Premier League clubs willing to break the bank to sign him. It's just utter misfortune for the Juve defender that Marcelo and Filipe Luis are considered better than him. Alex Sandro has barely gotten to feature in Brazilian colors since his debut in 2011, and he will be hoping his fortunes change over time.

David Luiz was one of the faces of the Brazilian team in the previous World Cup, and was the unfortunate captain of the Brazilian team that got hammered by the Germans in the semi-finals. A combination of poor form, intermittent injuries and a rumored fallout with his manager kept Luiz out of action for most of the season with Chelsea, and his omission was expected to some extent. However, there was a slim chance of him getting a place in the squad owing to his vast experience and passion for the country.

Fabinho was a shocking omission from the squad. The right-back who also plays as a defensive midfielder had a great season with Monaco. His immense value is showcased by the £43.7 million Liverpool have paid for his services. Tite might have missed a trick by not including Fabinho in the Brazilian squad.

#3 Spain

Hector Bellerin, Alvaro Morata, Marcos Alonso, Cesc Fabregas

The Chelsea-Spain trio of Alonso, Morata

and

Fabregas will be gutted at missing out

Alvaro Morata and Cesc Fabregas had mediocre seasons with Chelsea. The former was expected to light the Premier League on fire but was a major disappointment across the season. The latter is a veteran and was a big part of the Spanish team that dominated world football not too long ago. However, owing to their poor showings in the recent past, it was expected that they would be omitted from a star-studded Spanish squad.

It was more surprising to see their team-mate, Marcos Alonso, miss out from the squad. Also, the right wing-back from Chelsea's rival club Arsenal was expected to make the squad too. Hector Bellerin is known for his pace and considered one of the most promising defenders in Europe. Marcos Alonso, on the other hand, has been fantastic for Chelsea over the last two seasons. The wing-back duo would be disappointed to be left out of the Spanish squad headed to Russia.

#4 Belgium & Argentina

Radja Nainggolan & Mauro Icardi

Serie A superstars Nainggolan and Icardi are both extremely unlucky to not be a part of their respective national sides in the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Radja Nainggolan's omission from the Belgian squad is arguably the most shocking omission leading up to this year's World Cup. Nainggolan, who scored two goals for Roma in the Champions League semi-final, was expected to walk into the Belgian team.

Manager Martinez is facing a lot of criticism for letting his personal strained relationship with the 30-year-old midfielder come in the way of his judgment. The Roma star was understandably heart-broken with his omission and resigned from the national side with immediate effect.

Mauro Icardi was one of the most prolific strikers of the Serie A last season, having netted 29 goals for Inter Milan. His omission from the Argentine squad was surprising, to say the very least. The only logical reason for him not being included in the squad is the abundance of firepower in the Argentine attack. However, a dejected Icardi must be wondering what else he must do to prove himself worthy enough to don the Argentine blue and white.

#1 Germany

Leroy Sane

22-year-old sensation Leroy Sane was shockingly left out of the 23-man German squad

Young Leroy Sane was a sensation for Manchester City last season as they demolished multiple English records on the way to the title. Sane was rightfully named the PFA Young Player of the Year and registered an impressive 15 assists across the season, second only to teammate Kevin De Bruyne.

The pacy German international would have been devastated to not see his name on the 23-man squad for the World Cup after having such a spectacular season. Germany Manager Joachim Loew explained that Sane's omission was a difficult decision to make, but a tactical one in the end. "Leroy has a huge amount of talent and he will be back in again because from September we will re-double our work with him," Loew said. "But in his games with the national team he hasn't quite done the business."