Winning the World Cup is the pinnacle in football. Every youngster obsessed with the sport grows up with the dream of winning the trophy with their country.

Some of the greatest players in football history, including Lionel Messi, Pele and Diego Maradona, have all led their country to victory on the biggest international stage, and it has only gone to further their already remarkable legacies within the beautiful game.

However, we have seen others, just as deserving, who have never won the ultimate prize in the game. With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, GiveMeSport have named the 13 greatest footballers in history that were unable to get their hands on the trophy.

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Zico has been ranked as the 13th greatest player to never win the World Cup. The Brazilian legend, who scored 48 times in 71 matches for his country, never got close to getting his hands on the trophy. The furthest he got was in 1986 when his Brazil side were knocked out at the quarter-final stage.

Someone who did get extremely close to winning the trophy was Roberto Baggio. In 1994, the Italian was arguably the best footballer in the world. He carried his side to the final almost single-handedly, only for his journey to end in heartbreak, as he missed the decisive spot-kick in the final against Brazil. Despite that mistake, his greatness is undeniable.

George Best follows in 11th. The Manchester United legend never played at a World Cup, with Northern Ireland failing to qualify in the years that he represented them.

Luka Modric will retire following the 2026 World Cup. The midfield maestro led his side to the final in 2018, and he’ll be looking to go one step further in North America.

Lev Yashin, considered one of the greatest goalkeepers ever, follows in 9th, with Marco van Basten in 8th. The latter only represented his country in the World Cup finals on one occasion (1990), failing to hit the back of the net in that tournament.

Eusebio etched his name in World Cup history when he scored nine times in the 1966 edition. He fired Portugal to the semi-finals, where they were beaten by eventual winners, England.

Paolo Maldini also never managed to get his hands on the trophy. The AC Milan legend won everything at club level, but the World Cup alluded him throughout his illustrious career.

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Michel Platini has been ranked as the fifth-best player to never win the World Cup. The legendary midfielder won back-to-back-to-back Ballon d’Or trophies from 1971-1973, but could not lead his country to World Cup glory.

Hungary have reached the World Cup final on two occasions: in 1938 and in 1954. In the latter, they were helped to the final by the brilliant Ferenc Puskas. Puskas scored in the final as Hungary took an early two-goal lead, but West Germany mounted a comeback to win 3-2.

Puskas, who scored 80 goals in as many games for Hungary, played for Spain later on in his career. He featured for La Roja at the 1962 World Cup as they failed to get out of their group.

Remarkably, Alfredo Di Stefano never played at a World Cup, despite featuring for Argentina, Colombia and Spain during his football career. He had his most success at the latter, scoring 23 goals in 31 matches. At club level, Di Stefano was part of the unbeatable Real Madrid side that won five consecutive European Cups from 1956-1960, while he also helped the club to eight La Liga titles.

Johan Cruyff helped Netherlands reach the final of the 1974 World Cup, but his side were beaten by West Germany. He missed out on the trophy with his nation, but he had some extraordinary success with Ajax at club level.

While the greatest player to have never won the World Cup (yet) is Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo, the greatest goalscorer ever, is closing in on 1000 goals scored in professional football.

Ronaldo will feature in his sixth World Cup finals in 2026. Portugal have not fared very well in his previous five, with their best performance in that time frame coming in 2006 when they finished fourth.

Now 41 years old, he will have the opportunity to win the trophy for the final time in his career in North America. You wouldn’t bet against Ronaldo lifting the trophy on July 19 and ending his international career in perfect fashion.

Newcastle United have agreed a deal to sign Reims goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen as their first transfer of the summer, according to Canal+.

The Magpies had a disappointing campaign in the Premier League this season, finishing 12th and missing out on European football entirely, while they were humiliatingly eliminated from the Champions League following a thrashing at the hands of Barcelona in the Last 16 stage.

Eddie Howe is now keen to strengthen the squad and rebuild, with some key first-team stars expected to be on the move out of St James’ Park, but they have now sorted a deal for their first arrival.

Newcastle Agree Deal for Jaouen

According to Canal+, Newcastle have agreed a deal worth around £25m including bonuses to sign Reims goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen.

Jaouen, who has been described as ‘astonishing’, is regarded as one of the top goalkeeper prospects in world football at 20-years-old, and was a key part of the Reims squad last season that reached the promotion playoff final, although they missed out after suffering defeat against Metz.

The Magpies are keen to find a new number one goalkeeper with Aaron Ramsdale returning to Southampton after his loan spell, while there have been concerns over the performances of Nick Pope.

The veteran stopper has seen his contract extended by 12 months until 2027, but Jaouen is now expected to come in as the new first-choice stopper, having agreed a four-year contract to move to St James’ Park.

Newcastle are understood to be delighted with the deal to sign the youngster, who has previously had strong interest from Chelsea, and was even identified by Real Madrid as a potential long-term replacement for Thibaut Courtois.

Newcastle Ready for Big Summer

After a disappointing campaign last time out, Newcastle know they are facing a big summer ahead of them, and Howe knows that he can’t afford to get his business wrong like he did last year.

Anthony Elanga, Nick Woltemade, Jacob Ramsey, and Yoanne Wissa all signed but struggled with their performances, which contributed to their poor league campaign. Now, Howe must rebuild without some top stars, including Anthony Gordon, who has already joined Barcelona in a £70m deal.

Goalkeeper has been a position they have been looking to strengthen for several years, but they have finally secured a player who they see a huge future for, and could hold down the role for years to come.

Everton are eyeing a deal to sign an Arsenal star alongside Ben White to bolster their squad this summer for David Moyes, according to Football Insider.

The Toffees had a mixed campaign this season as they finished 13th in the Premier League, earning just one point more than they earned in the previous campaign, and now the manager is keen to strengthen his squad to start climbing the table and competing for Europe.

One position that has been earmarked as a priority is striker, with Beto and Thierno Barry both having frustrating seasons at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and Moyes is looking at a long-term target to fill the void.

Everton Eyeing Gabriel Jesus Deal

According to the report, Everton have identified Brazil international Gabriel Jesus as a target to bolster their attack.

Jesus, who currently earns £265,000-a-week at the Emirates Stadium, returned from a serious knee injury this season to help the Gunners earn their first Premier League title in 22 years, but often found himself as a third-choice striker behind Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz.

The 29-year-old is now in the final year of his contract, and it has been reported that Arsenal are ready to let him leave. However, they have put a £20m asking price on his head, and are ready to keep him beyond this summer if nobody matches the price.

As it stands, Everton are not keen to pay that much due to his injury problems and age, but they are interested in getting a deal done. Another hurdle to any transfer would be his mammoth wages, with Everton unable to pay anywhere near what he currently earns.

Juventus, AC Milan, and Brazilian side Palmeiras are all showing an interest in Jesus too, but they also have similar issues to Everton in getting a deal done, which means this is a move that may happen later in the window if people’s circumstances change.

Everton Need Reliable Goals

Jesus is someone who is a proven winner, having lifted the Premier League title on five occasions in his career, and he knows where the back of the net is.

In recent years injuries have troubled him, but there’s no doubting that he would bring a higher level of talent and quality to the Toffees squad if he joined, and he’d be a great mentor for a young striker like Barry to learn from.

If Moyes can get the club to find an agreement on finances, then this could be a shrewd bit of business for the new season, and it could be the difference between European football next season, or another year of languishing in the middle of the table.