Top 6 Players Who Were Cut From Spain’s 26 Man World Cup Squad

• Luis Enrique has named his squad for the upcoming World Cup, with the team without some big names
• Sergio Ramos, David De Gea and Thiago Alcantara headline a list of top players not included in the 26-man squad
• Other star players who did not make the cut include Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and Villarreal forward Gerard Moreno

Spain national team head coach Luis Enrique has announced his 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The squad is dominated by Barcelona players, with the likes of Jordi Alba and Ansu Fati making the cut.

Experienced players such as Sergio Ramos and Thiago Alcantara were omitted due to tactical reasons, but Enrique has shown faith in Athletic Bilbao youngster Nico Williams.

The 20-year-old Ghanaian-born Spanish winger has been in amazing form for his club in La Liga heading into the World Cup.

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The La Furia Roja will take on Jordan on Thursday, November 17, before leaving for Qatar. Six star players will not be checking in their boarding pass.

Here are the top six players who were cut from Germany's 26-man roster below and why.

Sergio Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain)

Ramos has been out of favour under Enrique, after the Paris Saint-Germain star also missed last year’s European Championships, although he had been injured for much of the season.

However, he has been a key player in PSG’s defence in the current campaign and it looks like the 36-year-old may not participate in a World Cup in his career again.

Borja Iglesias (Real Betis)

Another surprise omission from Enrique's roster is Real Betis striker Borja Iglesias. The 29-year-old is having a great season for the Andalusia.club, scoring eight goals from 14 games in La Liga.

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The 29-year-old may not boast a great deal of international experience, but he has scored three more goals than Alvaro Morata.

He made his debut for the 2010 World Champions in their 2-1 loss to Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League in September.

Thiago Alcantara (Liverpool)

Thiago has been one of Liverpool’s best players in their disappointing season, but won’t feature in Qatar.

The Reds star also missed out, with the midfielder not featuring for his country since Euro 2020 last summer, despite excelling under Jurgen Klopp.

Luis Enrique opted to go for a younger set of players, including Pedri and Gavi in his central midfield.

Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea)

The Chelsea shot-stopper was dealt a cruel blow when he hobbled off during his side's 4-1 defeat to Brighton on October 29.

The Spanish goalkeeper has enjoyed incredible form since Graham Potter took over in September but a foot injury has ruled out of the Mundial.

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The 28-year-old will definitely curse his stars - particularly after he rediscovered his old form somewhat after a difficult spell earlier at Stamford Bridge.

Gerard Moreno (Villarreal)

The striker has been a regular under Enrique over recent years, notching five in 17 outings for La Roja, but it now looks like his career will pass without the experience of a World Cup.

After being on the sidelines for several weeks due to thigh injury, the 30-year-old returned to fitness and made substitute appearance for Villarreal's victory win over Espanyol on Wednesday.

Gerard hoped his return would see him included in the squad, but Enrique opted not to risk him, and preferred Ansu Fati, Alvaro Morata and Marco Asensio instead.

David De Gea (Manchester United)

Premier League goalies David Raya and Robert Sanchez were preferred over Manchester United shot-stopper David De Gea.

The 32-year-old already knew he was not going to Qatar after he was left out of Spain’s 55-player preliminary World Cup.

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He has not made an appearance for Spain since October 2020. The former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper also hasn't been his country's regular starter in goal since November 2018 when he first lost his place to Arrizabalaga, before Unai Simon eventually took over instead.

Hakimi criticizes Spain for dropping Ramos

Sports Brief earlier reported that Spain’s omission of Sergio Ramos from La Roja’s final 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has been receiving backlash from some quarters.

Ramos will miss out on an opportunity to play at his 5th World Cup after Spain boss, Luis Enrique opted against taking the Paris Saint-Germain defender to Qatar.

Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi has now criticized the decision to drop his fellow PSG teammate from Spain’s squad to the World Cup.