The FIFA World Cup, often regarded as the biggest football tournament in the world, is set to begin next month. With less than a month to go, all participating teams have announced their final squads for the tournament.
The strict limit of 23 players means that many good players had to be left out of the squad, and this year there are many big names found missing.
Here are the three of the biggest names omitted from their respective national squads.
--Mario Gotze
Gotze is a 25-year-old German forward who plays as an attacking midfielder for Borussia Dortmund in Bundesliga. He scored the match-winning goal in the final of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Last season, Gotze spent a lot of time on the sidelines battling Myopathy, a muscle illness. He was in and out of hospitals for most of the season, almost reaching a point where he considered retirement.
More From This Section
Germany manager Joachim Low reasoned in a recent interview-"It wasn't his season; he did not show what his qualities are. He just did not have any form."
--Mauro Icardi
Icardi is a 25-year-old Argentine forward who plays as a striker for Italian club Internazionale. He also serves as captain for Internazionale. He was in sensational form last season, scoring 29 goals in 34 appearances in Serie A.
However, it's his off-field incidents that are being touted as the reason for the cancellation of his ticket to Russia. Numerous Argentina bosses have omitted him from the international squad for his misdemeanors over the last six years.
In an official statement, Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli said, "We came to this list after long and meticulous analysis. The players I called up identify with our style of play as closely as possible. For example: I chose Ansaldi because he's a full-back who can play on both sides. Icardi, Perotti and Papu Gomez won't come to Russia with us, but they're still good players, who could be in our attack."
--Anthony Martial
Martial is a 22-year-old French forward who plays as a left winger for English club Manchester United. He was the recipient of the 2015 Golden Boy Award for the best under-21 player in Europe. Last season, he scored nine goals and made five assists in 18 appearances in the Premier League.
He slipped out of the starting 11 after the arrival of Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez at Old Trafford, and was shifted to the bench for the latter part of the last season.
When questioned about his decision to drop Martial, France boss Didier Deschamps said-"It's always difficult. I was confronted with choices between a lot of players with a lot of quality. I know I can't make all the players happy."
Many more players could find themselves dropped from their respective teams, as the deadline to submit the final squads to FIFA is June 4.