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

Eric Cantona appeared on the Old Trafford pitch for the first time in more than twenty years during 22 May's Soccer Aid charity match, getting a rapturous reception at the home of the club where he will always be a cult hero. The Frenchman's employment with Manchester United only actually lasted for five years, but his goalscoring prowess and one of a kind character have immortalised him as 'The King'.

It's hard to imagine a time when France weren't a footballing powerhouse, but after taking third place at the 1986 World Cup they didn't actually qualify for another tournament for 20 years, missing the 1990 and 1994 editions and appearing at the 1998 and 2002 iterations by virtue of being host and defending champions respectively.

Their time in football's doldrums coincided with the peak of Cantona's career, meaning he would never turn up his collar in trademark fashion for Les Bleus at a finals. Had France qualified it's arguable as to whether he would've been selected for either tournament anyway given his fractured relationships with some of the team's managers.

Cantona retired from the game in 1997, but has stated he would've extended his career to the 1998 World Cup had he still been in the international picture. The man who usurped him in the French attack after his 1995 suspension for kicking a fan? One Zinedine Zidane, who led France to their one and only triumph with two goals in the final.