4. George Weah
Liberian-born striker George Weah was one of the top strikers in the 1990s, winning the FIFA World Player of the Year, European Footballer of the Year, and African Footballer of the Year in a glittering career in which he won the biggest tournaments at club level with AC Milan and PSG. Weah is the greatest footballer to come out of Liberia, but sadly, his birth nation never had any hope of making it to the World Cup.
For a period of almost 20 years, Weah was not just the star player, but the coach and the economic force driving Liberia, but while Weah was able to replicate Marco van Basten’s success at AC Milan, Liberia never stood a chance in the international scene. Just another player handicapped by his country’s limitations!
3. Ryan Giggs
Sir Alex Ferguson’s description of the first time he saw Ryan Giggs is one of those classics – “He was 13 and he floated across the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind.” Yes, Ryan Giggs running down the wings and making defenders look like statues was a sight to behold. The most decorated player in the English game, Giggs retired earlier this month as the most successful Manchester United player in the history of the game, finishing with an impressive haul of trophies that includes 13 Premier League titles and 2 Champions League crowns among many others.
The FA scouts had offered Giggs the chance to play for England, but Giggs chose to pull on the Wales shirt and take the responsibility of inspiring a small nation into football’s biggest event. But, much like Gareth Bale is discovering right now, Giggs’ supporting cast at Wales never really allowed him a realistic chance to make it to the World Cup. And sadly for a player of Giggs’ caliber, his only taste of a major international event came when he had the honor of leading the Great Britain team in the Olympics in 2012.