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 The World Cup is always a time of celebration, of unity, of coming together and speaking a universal language (the language of football, not Chinese), but it is also a time of much hardship and sadness as many countries are unable to take part, and therefore means their players are dead. Work with me here. So why don't you take a moment with me to have a minute's silence, pour out a 40, or wave your mobile phone around on the "lighter" setting, and remember some of those who will not be with us come June. === Zlatan Ibrahimovic [SWEDEN] ===  Who dares wins, except in Zlatan's case, as he's not on the plane. He tried but failed to win the legendary Battle Of The Squad Carriers, losing out to CR7™ and the Portugals.  If you have a spare few days, please immerse yourself in this link right here. Thanks. === Gareth Bale [WALES] ===  You may have watched a rather dashing fellow single-handedly win the Champions League for Real Madrid, and thought to yourself "Gosh, I sure cannot wait to watch that guy at the World Cup".* Unfortunately for you, Gareth Bale was born with a disease known as "Being Welsh", and as such will never feature at a major tournament as long as you or I live. The world's most expensive player on the world's biggest stage? Get Real. *Angel Di Maria will, in fact, be at the World Cup === Petr Cech [CECH REPUBLIC] ===  If you thought a man so revered by his home country they named it after him would most definitely be at the tournament, think again. No, not even Chelsea Chelsea Chelsea's goalkeeping stalwart himself could steer the Czechs to qualification. He will, however, been seen outside various grounds flogging his adorable range of headwear. === Kris Boyd [SCOTLAND] ===  Being arguably the greatest striker to grace the northern wastelands known as Scotland isn't enough for Kris Boyd to get a seat on the plane, but he would have got them there himself if he had better service, I mean having to play with the likes of the Fletchers, one a S'land reject, the other a bowel eject, didn't help matters. His scoring record speaks for itself:  === Steevy Chong Hue [TAHITI] ===  The man who lit up the prestigious Confederations Cup in 2013 for a country with a storied history, Tahiti's Steevy Chong Hue sadly will not be baffling Uruguayans with his technical range of skill, ability, and kicking a ball forward. He will be leaving this honour to Steevy Gee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-IhJnPJAls === George Forsyth [PERU] === No idea who he is but I like his name. === Danny Higginbotham [GIBRALTAR] ===  The greatest ever footballer to have family that may or may not have come from Gibraltar, Higginbotham was so committed to the cause that he retired from club football to concentrate on his international duties. Sadly for Danny, he couldn't guide Gibraltar to the World Cup, mainly because they aren't eligible, and so has decided to hang up his boots in protest, ready to return upon recognition. Possibly. These guys, and more, won't be taking part, but dry your eyes, and also read this article which kind of does what I wanted to do but more neatly. Feel free to write your own player pieces. Peace out.
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May 26, 2014 13:12
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I can't get enough of are Dan 
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I considered doing a few like that too, but hey, effort. Glad something like it already exists. Possible side-topic on how many years a goalkeeper year is worth ??
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May 26, 2014 14:52
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