World-class combined XI that failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup

Midfield

Arturo Vidal

Arturo Vidal is another Bayern Munich star who will not be at the World Cup in Russia next year. The combative midfielder has had his moments over the past couple of years with the Chile squad and was a key player in their Copa America triumphs despite his run-ins with the law for driving under the influence.

Chile really should have qualified for the World Cup. It seems almost outlandish that the two-time South American champions will not be in Russia in 2018.

But they have only themselves to blame after taking their entire senior squad to the Confederations Cup, tiring out key players after a grueling season and eventually losing crucial qualifiers.

The 3-0 win that was awarded to them also hurt them in the end as it eventually saw them finish sixth - not even good enough for a playoff spot.

Marco Verratti is the fourth Italian on this team (you see the trend here?). The central midfielder has progressed from strength to strength in the past few years and is Paris saint-Germain's midfield linchpin.

Marco Verratti was suspended for the second leg of the playoffs against Sweden

The 25-year-old central midfield playmaker was looking forward to appearing in his second World Cup and pull the strings in midfield like his mentor Andrea Pirlo did in 2014.

Sadly, it was not meant to be and his suspension for the second leg of the playoffs against Sweden certainly did not help Italy at all.

Honourable mentions: Aaron Ramsey (Wales), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), and Jean Michael Seri (Ivory Coast)