Soccer stars who will miss out on the 2018 World Cup

Soccer stars who will miss the World Cup - With almost two months to go before the start of the World Cup in Russia, it is still hard to believe that many brilliant players will not be present in the competition. The reason? Their national teams didn't qualify for the competition of the year. It's sad, but we will have to overcome the absence of stars such as Dutchman Arjen Robben, Welshman Gareth Bale, and Chilean Alexis Sánchez.

Check out the stars who won't be participating in the biggest soccer competition of the year.

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Arjen Robben (Netherlands) - Robben will be missed! One of the biggest stars of Dutch football, the 34-year-old played in three World Cups, finishing as runner-up in 2010 and placing third in the World Cup in Brazil.

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Arjen Robben (Netherlands) - However, the Bayern Munich player could not avoid the embarrassment of not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. Robben announced that we was retiring from the national team, as reported in the Telegraph.

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Alexis Sánchez (Chile) - Chile, the two-time Copa America champion, saw their dream of participating in the World Cup in Russia crushed on a dramatic night where they lost 3-0 to Brazil, as the Daily Mail reported.

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Alexis Sánchez (Chile) - A Manchester United player since the beginning of 2018, the Chilean star will have to be content just playing for the Red Devils.

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Arturo Vidal (Chile) - Another great Chilean ace who has played for his country in two World Cups and will be out of the competition.

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Arturo Vidal (Chile) - He's been one of the stars of Bayern Munich since 2015 and, according to The Sun, is on Manchester United's radar.

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Jorge Valdivia (Chile) - An ever-present in his national squad, the midfielder will also be missed in the competition of the year.

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Jorge Valdivia (Chile) - The Colo-Colo player was devastated by Chile's elimination in the qualifiers. Valdivia said on Instagram that it was a painful and sad moment.

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Gareth Bale (Wales) - The absence of the 28-year-old Welsh star in the last two games of the qualifiers was felt. Bale suffered an injury playing for Real Madrid, leaving him unable to play for Wales, says the Independent.

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Gareth Bale (Wales) - Wales ended up being defeated by Ireland and lost a place in the World Cup, The Guardian reported. The Real Madrid star is yet to play in a World Cup.

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Aaron Ramsey (Wales) - Fellow Welshman Aaron Ramsey will also be missed in the competition.

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Aaron Ramsey (Wales) - The midfielder plays for Arsenal.

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Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) - The world was stunned when Italy, one of soccer's quintessential national teams, failed to qualify for Russia 2018. Buffon lost the chance to play for the sixth time in a World Cup.

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Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) - The 40-year-old goalkeeper from Italy didn't take this well and announced his retirement, unless his team, Juventus, wins the Champions League this year, the Independent reported.

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Giorgio Chiellini (Italy) - Chiellini is another top player who left the squad after Italy's fiasco, according to Sports Illustrated.

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Giorgio Chiellini (Italy) - The player, remembered for having his shoulder bitten by Uruguayan Luis Suárez in the 2014 World Cup, plays as a defender for Juventus.

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Leonardo Bonucci (Italy) - The defender will miss the World Cup but is sticking with the national team.

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Leonardo Bonucci (Italy) - Bonucci was part of Juventus' airtight defence before switching to AC Milan.

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David Alaba (Austria) - The Austrian national team has not qualified for a World Cup since 1998.

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David Alaba (Austria) - Even though he was going through a good phase at Bayern Munich, the athlete was unable to help Austria qualify for the World Cup.

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Christian Pulisic (USA) - At just 19, the American midfielder will still have more chances to play in World Cups.

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Christian Pulisic (USA) - The talented youngster plays for Borussia Dortmund.

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Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Bosnia and Herzegovina played in their first World Cup in 2014. The striker Edin Dzeko was present at the World Cup in Brazil.

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Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - However, his squad failed to repeat the feat. Roma's top scorer will have to watch the World Cup on TV instead.

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Miralem Pjanic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Dzeko's team mate is also sad about his absence from the tournament, which begins on June 14.

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Miralem Pjanic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - The player is one of the stars of Juventus.

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Jan Oblak (Slovenia) - The goalkeeper won't go to Russia to defend his country's colors.

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Jan Oblak (Slovenia) - Just playing for Atletico Madrid will have to do.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) - The star played in the African qualifiers for Gabon, but his team didn't qualify for the World Cup.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) - The star has played for Borussia Dortmund and he's now in Arsenal.

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Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenia) - He is another player who will be missed in the World Cup, but his team was far from qualifying.

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Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenia) - The Armenian currently shines at Arsenal.

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Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast) - Unfortunately, we will also miss the athlete who had his World Cup debut in 2014, on the pitch in Russia.

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Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast) - He's been playing for Tottenham this year.

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