We’ve grown used to the word football being inseparable from the names that have dominated the game over recent decades – and rightly so.
The magic that makes the beautiful game what it is stems from nutmegs, dazzling dribbles, heroic saves, and unforgettable goals. Every player among the 32 teams competing at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has delivered moments like these.
Clubs like Bayern, Chelsea, Boca Juniors, Manchester City, and Real Madrid bring with them the promise of jogo bonito, thanks to squads packed with global stars.
And yet… imagining one final “Last Dance” between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – or a reunion with their old Barcelona teammate Neymar Jr – would have offered a kind of emotional closure for fans who live for dreams and memories of a not-so-distant golden age.
Salah: Premier League’s brightest light
In 2019, the first Egyptian to win a Champions League title changed Liverpool’s trajectory forever.
Signed in 2017, Mohamed Salah has been a force of nature, his ability to break through defenses giving him the choice to set up teammates or, more often, smash the ball into the net himself.
From the moment he joined the Reds, Salah became part of Europe’s most fearsome attacking trios. It took just two years for Liverpool’s No 11 to help his side lift the Champions League trophy.
This year, the club lifted the Premier League title while Manchester City narrowly missed out. Yet in the ranking period from 2021 to 2024, it was City – not Arne Slot’s Liverpool – who collected enough points to secure a Club World Cup spot.
A star that never shone the same again
Talking about players who wear the No 11 shirt means we have to talk about Neymar.
These days, injuries are what bring his name back into the headlines, but it’s hard not to think about what might have been if the Brazilian who rose through Santos FC had joined this Club World Cup as a last-minute signing.
Speculation linked him with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, a team reportedly seeking a commanding midfielder to boost their attacking options.
And who better to slot in alongside Messi and Luis Suárez than the man who completed the iconic MSN trio at Luis Enrique’s Barcelona?
Portugal’s king won’t be there either
Cristiano Ronaldo needs no introduction.
At 40, he captained Portugal to their second straight UEFA Nations League title and scored the winning goal in the final.
With his team Al Nassr missing out on qualification, fans worldwide hoped the transfer rumors would prove true – that Botafogo, Monterrey or another contender would swoop in and sign him for one last major tournament. But it wasn’t to be.
CR7 scored the 938th goal of his career and showed he’s still operating at a world-class level. A showdown with Messi on this stage would have defied logic and time – a new chapter in their legendary rivalry.
Also absent from this year’s Club World Cup will be three more players who defined an era – Luka Modrić, Thomas Müller, and Kevin De Bruyne – all of whom left their clubs before the tournament could bring them back to the spotlight.