Probably the biggest casualty from the World Cup qualifying stages however is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who, despite scoring twice against Portugal last night to put Sweden on the verge of winning their play-off, was left disconsolate at full time after being blown away by a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick. At 32, Ibrahimovic may not get another opportunity to play at the World Cup finals, having only made two substitute appearances in 2002 and three starts in 2006. Reaching the latter stages of the 2014 competition would have been a nadir in what has otherwise been a successful playing career, and a fitting swansong of which to bow out at international level. Instead, like everyone else on this list, Ibrahimovic will be left to watch the 2014 World Cup from home.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.