LIST OF HIGH PROFILE STARS SET TO MISS THE WORLD CUP

Here is a look at those out indefinitely and the ones that still have a chance to feature in Brazil.

Out

Franck Ribery
France, Bayern Munich
The 31-year-old suffered a mysterious injury to the buttocks in the middle of the season and required minor surgery, only for back pains to persist. Ribery has played only once for Bayern Munich since April 29, and he missed important time in the Champions League. He also missed both of France’s World Cup warm-up matches. “He had to stop in training,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, “the pain was too strong.”


Riccardo Montolivo
Italy, AC Milan
The whole dressing room sat quietly as the Italian players thought about midfielder Riccardo Montolivo. Italy played their first friendly in London last Saturday, and after 15 minutes Montolivo struck out his leg and collided with another player. The 29-year-old broke his tibia. Montolivo had played consistently for Italy since 2010, when coach Cesare Prandelli took over. “He’s a player with a strong personality inside the changing room,” said Prandelli, “and that’s also why his teammates were in shock.”

Jay Rodriguez
England, Southampton
Jay Rodriguez was making steady progress until he ruptured his ACL. At 24, Rodriguez had made his first appearance for England, and he scored 15 goals for Southampton. Before that, he had spent lots of time in the second tier of English football, even going for a stint in Scotland.

Kevin Strootman
Netherlands, AS Roma
The anterior cruciate ligament strikes again. Kevin Strootman needed surgery after injuring his knee in a game for Roma. He was one of the most efficient midfielders in Serie A up until then. The 24-year-old scored five goals, many from long distances, and put up six assists.


Marco Reus
Germany, Borussia Dortmund
The 25-year-old forward rolled his left ankle in a friendly against Armenia on Friday. It was later determined that he partially tore a ligament and will be out for six to seven weeks.

Theo Walcott
England, Arsenal
Another one of England’s dynamic players, Theo Walcott was hauled off on a stretcher during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over rival Tottenham in the FA Cup in January. He has not returned. His knee is a mangled mess. Walcott missed the 2010 World Cup after then coach Fabio Capello decided to cut the winger from his squad. That time, Walcott had to prove himself again; this time, he is learning how to walk again.

Christian Benteke
Belgium, Aston Villa
There is still much time for Christian Benteke to make many more World Cup appearances, but his debut was delayed when he snapped his Achilles tendon in April. Benteke is one of the Premier League’s finest strikers, scoring 29 goals over the past two seasons in England.


Victor Valdes
Spain, Barcelona
Victor Valdes may not have played as the first-choice goalkeeper for Spain in this World Cup anyway. (Iker Casillas is the main man, even if he doesn’t even play all the games for his club Real Madrid.) But Valdes blew out his right knee in March, and the 32-year-old lost any hope at all. He has since decided to depart Barcelona, where he played 535 games and won six La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies.

Roman Shirokov
Russia, Zenit St. Petersburg
The captain of Russia had done his training by himself in the weeks prior to the World Cup, testing out his injured Achilles. But coach Fabio Capello said the 32-year-old tweaked it again, and Shirokov will require surgery.

Questionable

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
England, Arsenal
The speedy Arsenal winger Alex Ox-Chamberlain is probably the youngest notable on the sidelines at 20 years old. He fell awkwardly after making a challenge in a friendly against Ecuador earlier this week. He sustained a medial knee ligament injury. The English FA is unsure of his availability for the World Cup. Coach Roy Hodgson said that the team has the right to replace him “up to 24 hours before the first game.”

Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal, Real Madrid
A witch doctor in Ghana claims responsibility for Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent injury problems, but in reality the 29-year-old has complained about his knee for parts of this past season. He was even at risk of missing the Champions League final, but he ended up scoring in a 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid. It is uncertain whether Ronaldo will be ready for Portugal’s first World Cup match against Germany on Monday, June 16, but he will miss a warm-up match against Mexico on Saturday.

Probable

Diego Costa
Spain, Atletico Madrid
In a bid to recover for the Champions League final, Diego Costa flew to Serbia to receive horse placenta treatment. But it did not work: the 25-year-old striker limped off after nine minutes. He has since taken the time to recover, and reports in England indicate that he has already passed his medical ahead of a move to Premier League club Chelsea.


Luis Suarez
Uruguay, Liverpool
A few weeks ago, Luis Suarez was rolled out of a hospital in Montevideo in a grey hoody. He underwent surgery to fix his knee, and he missed the rest of Uruguay’s pre-tournament friendlies. He is likely to feature in the World Cup, most probably in their second game of the group stage against Costa Rica, but the news still shocked teammates. “The truth is that I felt ill,” defender Diego Godin told reporters, “it is something that nobody expected. He is our figurehead, our star.