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Chris WrightToe Poke writer
The 2022 World Cup has fixed america accidental to ticker immoderate of the game's biggest stars execute connected the grandest signifier that planetary shot has to offer.
However, with galore nations missing retired connected the accidental to vie and certain players suffering injuries successful the run-up to the tournament, determination are besides a raft of big-name players who sadly won't beryllium gracing the transportation successful Qatar.
And each those elite nine managers and coaches person been fixed a unsocial midseason interruption astatine a clip erstwhile their home and European campaigns would usually beryllium successful afloat swing.
Fortunately galore of them person recovered alternate ways of passing the clip until their colleagues instrumentality to articulation them aboriginal this month, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Karim Benzema each offering a glimpse into their World Cup-less wintertime itineraries via societal media.
- World Cup 2022: News and features | Schedule | Squads
Stars who didn't qualify/get selected for the World Cup
Mohamed Salah
Salah played 88 minutes for Egypt successful a pre-World Cup affable against Belgium earlier jetting disconnected with his household for a midseason interruption successful the sun.
The 30-year-old guardant besides recovered clip to drawback up with nationalist teammate Tarek Hamed for a chat connected the sofa. The travel was worthy it conscionable for the Zamalek midfielder calling him "the champion of the best" successful the replies.
Salah past travelled connected to the United Arab Emirates, wherever helium kicked things disconnected by picking up the prestigious TikTok Fans' Player of the Year grant astatine the Dubai Globe Soccer ceremony. He'll soon beryllium backmost successful the UAE for Liverpool's warm-weather grooming excursion to Dubai, a 12-day travel that volition see matches against Lyon (Dec. 11) and AC Milan (Dec. 16).
Erling Haaland
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has fixed each of his players a three-week interruption earlier they reconvene successful Abu Dhabi connected Dec. 5, and helium said past period helium hoped his prima striker would beryllium staying successful signifier portion visiting his vacation location successful Spain.
"He volition beryllium successful Marbella, for sure, and Norway," Guardiola said. "How cleanable he'll beryllium successful the 2nd fractional of the play depends connected however helium behaves successful Marbella. He volition play golf, hopefully not devour and portion excessively overmuch and travel backmost successful large signifier for the 2nd fractional of the league.
Haaland has kept things precise low-key and nonrecreational connected societal media, which a atrocious motion for fans of Premier League leaders Arsenal, who volition beryllium hoping that the goal-hungry Norwegian lets himself spell during his hiatus.
With Austria failing to marque the World Cup grade, Real Madrid defender David Alaba took himself disconnected to the Maldives for immoderate remainder and recuperation -- looking each inch the pro footballer connected abrogation arsenic helium posed connected the formation successful his sharpest threads.
— AC Milan (@acmilan) November 17, 2022Along with Salah, Sweden's Ibrahimovic was besides contiguous connected signifier astatine the Dubai Globe Soccer awards wherever the 41-year-old was bestowed with designation for his outstanding publication to the crippled (572 goals successful 983 appearances for nine and country, and counting).
And, portion desperately trying to wide a small much abstraction successful his trophy cabinet, the seasoned striker besides recovered clip to plug his caller Netflix movie.
It's not instantly wide precisely however the Chelsea guardant "assisted" Cameroonian boxer Stephane Fondjo during his caller triumph by unanimous determination implicit Robert Talarek, but the brace look to person had a batch of amusive larking astir unneurotic successful Dubai regardless.
Barcelona midfielder Kessie made the astir of his clip disconnected with a travel to sojourn his eponymous charitable instauration successful his autochthonal Ivory Coast.
After his blistering commencement to the play culminated successful him winning the Premier League's astir caller subordinate and extremity of the period awards, Newcastle United's in-form guardant has had his tally enactment connected clasp by the World Cup. Paraguay did not qualify, but helium returned location for a interruption with his spouse and went retired for a bully meal connected the nighttime earlier the tourney kicked off.
With temperatures successful South London dipping ever little arsenic wintertime draws in, Crystal Palace and Ivory Coast winger Wilfried Zaha seized the accidental to alert retired to Dubai successful hunt of immoderate midseason sunshine to observe his son's 2nd birthday.
After missing the chopped for Spain, Liverpool's midfield metronome besides decided a vacation was successful bid and ventured disconnected connected a speedy circuit of the US, archetypal taking successful a Lakers crippled astatine the Staples Center.
Thiago and his partner, Julia, past went connected to Las Vegas for a fewer days, wherever they posed for a rooftop selfie supra the Strip.
With Colombia falling abbreviated of World Cup qualification, James Rodriguez was denied the accidental to reproduce his 2014 Golden Boot-winning heroics and alternatively went connected a household vacation.
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak was besides granted permission successful bid to pitchy disconnected to Florida for a small midseason sun, with the Slovenia planetary enjoying a sun-soaked stint connected Miami Beach.
Napoli's breakout prima has enjoyed a meteoric emergence this season, with the 21-year-old scoring 8 goals successful 17 games truthful far. However, the Georgian winger evidently isn't supra getting ribbed by his teammates aft a photograph of him reclining connected a seat successful a municipality quadrate led to defender Juan Jesus wryly enquiring successful the comments: "You sleeping there?"
Stars who missed the World Cup done injury
Sadio Mane was robbed of the accidental to play astatine the World Cup by an wounded sustained portion playing for Bayern Munich successful the buildup. Still, contempt having conscionable undergone surgery, the guardant recovered clip to privation his comrades good astatine the tourney with a saccharine "good luck" connection posted connected societal media, and watched them from location arsenic they qualified for the knockout phase.
Karim Benzema
Benzema remains a registered subordinate successful France's World Cup squad, but wounded has prevented him competing successful Qatar. The 34-year-old striker could technically beryllium called upon by Didier Deschamps, though the France manager has said a daze instrumentality from wounded for Benzema is "not thing that's successful my mind." Instead, Benzema has spent the past fewer weeks successful recovery, pedalling distant connected his workout motorcycle successful the gym.
That said, the Ballon d'Or victor precocious flew into the Indian Ocean land of Reunion to statesman a vacation, truthful the chances of him returning for Les Bleus before the extremity of the tourney look reasonably remote.
With wounded denying Paul Pogba some his 2nd Juventus debut truthful acold this play and a spot successful France's World Cup squad, the midfielder has had to marque bash with throwing a kitsch Barbie-themed day enactment for his spouse instead.
The 29-year-old besides spent immoderate clip hanging retired with French lensman and creator JR, who managed to instrumentality a fewer representation shots of the 2018 World Cup victor amid the hijinks.
The Chelsea right-back had looked nailed-on to commencement for England astatine the World Cup, lone for a genu wounded to quash those dreams. Instead, helium has had to console himself by taking portion successful manner shoots connected the streets connected New York.
The Liverpool guardant was removed from the Portugal squad soon earlier the World Cup owed to a troublesome calf wounded suffered during a Premier League crippled against Manchester City successful precocious October.
Rather than wallowing successful self-pity, the Liverpool guardant has decided to usage his betterment play to assistance beforehand a Portuguese foundation fittingness drive.
After tearing an ankle ligament portion playing for RB Leipzig successful the Champions League conscionable weeks earlier the commencement of the World Cup, Werner's hopes of playing astatine a World Cup for Germany were cruelly shattered.
Thankfully, the erstwhile Chelsea guardant has been capable to usage his downtime productively by gaming from the comfortableness of his couch.
Managers enjoying a World Cup break
Pep Guardiola
The Manchester City brag celebrated extending his declaration astatine the Etihad earlier returning location to Spain successful bid to person a peculiar Trainer of the Year grant astatine the yearly Gala of the Stars lawsuit held by the Catalan Football Federation successful Barcelona.
Jose Mourinho
Not to beryllium outdone, Pep's large rival added yet different grant to his ain postulation arsenic helium picked up the Best Career Coach gong astatine the Liga Portugal awards ceremony.
The 59-year-old past flew retired to Japan arsenic his Roma broadside began their mini-tour with a goalless gully with Nagoya Grampus earlier coming from 2 goals down to salvage an entertaining 3-3 gully against Yokohama F. Marinos astatine the National Stadium.
Antonio Conte
The Tottenham Hotspur brag formed portion of a Juventus reunion successful Turin wherever helium met up with 1995-96 Champions League winners similar erstwhile Bianconeri manager Marcelo Lippi and ex-teammates Fabrizio Ravanelli, Ciro Ferrara, Moreno Torricelli, Angelo Peruzzi and Angelo Di Livio.
Jesse Marsch
Amazing to beryllium present successful Peru with astir each the household (miss you, Maddux ❤️) and spot the intricacies of Machu Picchu and get a consciousness of the past and culture.
Truly 1 of the Wonders of the World and it feels large to person ticked it disconnected my bucket list! pic.twitter.com/SvsUMjJSjy
Leeds United manager Marsch took his household connected a travel to Machu Picchu, wherever helium was capable to execute his ambition of marvelling astatine the past Peruvian metropolis with his ain eyes.
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