The top 10 players to have never won the World Cup, one year out from the 2026 finals

Winning the World Cup is simply put, the pinnacle for any professional footballer player, with the likes of Diego Maradona and Pele crowning their illustrious careers by lifting the biggest prize in the sport.

However, it has eluded some of the finest footballers in history both past and present, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Kevin De Bruyne three such stars currently running out of time to add the honour to their glistening trophy collections.

While it is not the be all and end all in terms of assessing a player's legacy, many people consider failing to win the World Cup a major black mark against a footballer's claims of being the greatest player of all time.

With the 2026 World Cup now just one year away from getting underway in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Sports Mole considers some of the greatest players never to have won the World Cup.

10. Roberto Baggio (Italy)

A player who was simply a joy to watch, Roberto Baggio kept his best performances for the biggest stages at the World Cup, dazzling fans at Italia 90 on the Azzurri's run to the semi-final, and he had an even bigger role at the 1994 World Cup, almost single-handedly dragging Italy to the final.

In the ultimate footballing tragedy though, it was Baggio who missed the deciding spot kick in their penalty shootout defeat to Brazil at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, later calling it the worst moment of his career, and one he still dreams about to this day.

Baggio retired from international football in 2004, just as he hung up his boots at Brescia, two years before Italy would go on to win the World Cup in 2006.

9. Marco van Basten (Netherlands)

Despite having his career curtailed by a serious injury aged only 28 in 1993, Marco van Basten still won three Ballons d'Or during a dominant spell with AC Milan between 1987 and 1993.

Indeed, the Dutchman lifted three Serie A titles and won the European Cup twice during this period, as well as scoring five goals - including arguably the greatest ever in a major final with a memorable volley against Soviet Union - as the Netherlands won their only major international final to date at Euro 1988.

However, Van Basten never scored at a World Cup, with his only appearance coming at Italia '90 as the Oranje crashed out to West Germany in the first knockout round.

8. Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)

Alfredo Di Stefano enjoyed a glittering club career, scoring in five successive European Cup final victories for Real Madrid between 1956 and 1960, including a hat-trick in the Spanish giants' famous 7-3 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960.

His tally of 49 goals in the old European Cup was higher than any other player pre-1992, when the competition's format expanded to become the Champions League, while he remains Real Madrid's top goalscorer in 'El Clasico' fixtures alongside a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, despite scoring 23 goals in 31 caps for his adopted homeland Spain, Di Stefano never featured at a World Cup after injury ruled him out of competing for them at the 1962 World Cup.

Di Stefano uniquely also played international football for Argentina and Colombia, but those brief spells came before the World Cup returned from its Second World War-enforced break in 1950.

7. Paolo Maldini (Italy)

Generally regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Paolo Maldini is one of the few players in history to have played over 1,000 matches, with his record of 647 appearances in Serie A only broken by Gianluigi Buffon in 2020.

Maldini earned 126 caps for Italy before retiring from international duty in 2002, but he fell short of winning a major tournament with the Azzurri despite earning a runners-up medal at the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000, as well as reaching the semi-finals of Euro 1988 and World Cup 1990.

He was named in the Dream Team in all four of those tournaments, having shown his class by featuring as a left-back and centre-back throughout them, and he more than made up for his lack of international medals with five European Cups and seven Serie A titles with AC Milan.

However, having played for Milan until 2009, a part of Maldini must regret missing out on his nation's surprise triumph at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

6. Michel Platini (France)

Michel Platini won three successive Ballons d'Or between 1983 and 1985 as his Juventus side dominated Serie A during those years, while also beating Liverpool 1-0 in the infamous European Cup final in Heysel in 1985.

Despite nominally being a midfielder, Platini scored a remarkable nine goals at Euro '84 as France ended their major international tournament drought, with the former UEFA president unsurprisingly scooping the player of the tournament award in the process.

Bagging 41 goals in 72 caps for his country, Platini was undoubtedly one of the greatest goalscoring midfield players of all time, but Les Bleus fell short at the semi-final stage at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups.

5. Zico (Brazil)

Regarded as the greatest Brazilian never to have won the World Cup, Zico was a classic number 10 with an eye for goal, with Pele remarking that he was the only player who came close to reaching his own remarkably high levels.

Zico scored more goals (101) directly from free kicks than any other player in history, with his diminutive frame helping him become one of the classiest dribblers in the business, and he was one of the pioneers of the no-look pass, too, which we still see several other Brazilians - most notably Roberto Firmino - carry on today.

However, Zico was clearly no show-pony, with 48 goals in 71 caps demonstrating his world-class end-product, too, and with him in the side, Brazil reached the semi-finals at World Cup 1978 and the quarter-finals in 1986, with his best individual performance - scoring four goals, including the opener against Maradona's Argentina - coming in 1982, but the Selecao eventually lost 3-2 to Italy in the final.

4. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary)

Ferenc Pukas's tally of 729 goals places him fifth in football's all-time top goalscorers list, with the Hungary striker's ferocious left foot making him one of the greatest finishers the game has ever seen.

Part of the Hungarian 'Mighty Magyar' team in the late 1940s and 1950s, Puskas helped his nation win gold at the 1952 Olympics - where he scored five goals - before losing against all the odds to West Germany in the 1954 World Cup final, during which the legendary forward still scored despite playing with a hairline fracture in his ankle.

Despite only joining Real Madrid aged 31, Puskas bagged 383 goals in 367 appearances for the Spanish giants, winning five successive La Liga titles as well as three European Cup finals, and he ended with 84 goals in 85 caps for Hungary, with off-field matters prematurely ending his international career in 1956.

3. Eusebio (Portugal)

With 11 Portuguese Primeira Liga titles from an astonishing career for Benfica, during which time he won the Ballon d'Or in 1965 as well as finishing runner-up in 1962 and 1966, Eusebio is undoubtedly one of the greatest players never to win the World Cup.

The Portugal forward lit up the 1966 World Cup in England in a manner which few players ever have managed to achieve on the world stage, with Eusebio's remarkable tally of nine goals remaining arguably the greatest individual performance at a World Cup as Portugal earned a bronze medal.

His tally of 48 goals in the old European Cup was only bettered by Di Stefano's 49, with the former Real Madrid forward remarking, "For me, Eusebio will always be the best player of all time".

2. Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)

One of the most influential figures in the history of football, both through his work as a player and as a manager, Johan Cruyff won nine Eredivisie titles, three European Cup finals and one La Liga title with Barcelona, but he fell short of scooping the World Cup.

Famous for being one of the first players to skilfully execute the 'Cruyff Turn' on a global level, Cruyff was a genius with the ball at his feet, helping him win Player of the Tournament at the 1974 World Cup despite the Netherlands losing 2-1 to hosts West Germany in the final.

Cruyff scored in wins against Argentina and Brazil during the tournament, before the Oranje were defeated by Czechoslovakia at Euro '76, with arguably their greatest ever player retiring from international football before the World Cup in 1978.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Cristiano Ronaldo may not be lacking much in his life - money, family, good looks, physique and goals galore - but the World Cup trophy remains one notable thing missing from his repertoire.

The Portugal forward has scored more goals than any other player in history, and helped his country win Euro 2016 and the inaugural Nations League in 2019. However, for a man possessing his own exceptionally high standards which have driven him to scoop five Ballon d'Or awards, only boasting six goals across four World Cups will undoubtedly disappoint the Manchester United man.

His standout performance came when scoring a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw against Spain in Russia last time out, with Portugal's best achievement at the World Cup during his era coming when losing 1-0 to France in the 2006 semi-final.

Written by
Brett Curtis