9 Greatest Footballers Of All Time (Who Never Went To A World Cup)

Another man constrained by his Welsh nationality was one of the longest-serving players at Manchester United's greatest rivals Liverpool. Ian Rush was a regular fixture in the Merseyside team's starting lineup between 1980 and 1996, aside from the two year period he spent in Italy at Juventus (though the first of those saw him immediately loaned back to Anfield).

The club's all-time record scorer with 346 goals to his name, Rush helped lead the team to five First Division successes and two European Cup victories during their heyday. He still holds all manner of other records, including the most goals scored against Everton in Merseyside derbies (25) and the most goals scored across cumulative FA Cup finals (5). He probably also holds the distinction of having owned the most iconic moustache in football history!

Rush was also Wales' all-time top scorer until recently with 28 goals to his name, having been overtaken by Gareth Bale following his March hat-trick against China. His sixteen years at the heart of the national side saw him make a number of ultimately futile contributions to World Cup and European Championship qualification campaigns.

Had he, Giggs and Bale all been part of the same generation, Wales could've been a dominant attacking force on the world stage. Sadly their peaks came one after the other and alone each has never been able to make enough of an impact.