It's no mean feat making it onto FourFourTwo's Best 100 Football Players in the World 2014 shortlist – as this lot found out...
By now you'll have seen our carefully-crafted shortlist of the world's finest footballers, but what about the ones who just missed out?
For various reasons the players below didn't make the cut: those on their way up, those who need to try a bit harder, and the unlucky ones who spent most of 2014 troubling a physio...
The up-and-comers
Roberto Firmino (Hoffenheim)
A dazzling year from the young Brazilian, who marked his first call-up for the Seleção with an excellent goal against Austria earlier this month. The 23-year-old grabbed 16 goals and 12 assists in a superb campaign for the free-scoring Sinsheim outfit, and has started the 2014/15 season promisingly. If he keeps it up, he'll be impossible to ignore next time around.
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The prodigious young German carried the hopes of his team for much of last season in the absence of Dutch goal-getter Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. It's easy to forget that all this came by the age of 20 for the Schalke academy grad, who made his international debut as long ago as 2012 and was part of Germany's World Cup-winning squad – if largely unused. A ruptured tendon has ended his year prematurely, but he'd began the season as a guaranteed first-choice starter under new boss Roberto Di Matteo.
Shinji Okazaki (Mainz)
No spring chicken aged 28, but the Japan international's stock has sky-rocketed after a magnificent 2013/14 campaign with Mainz in which he plundered 15 goals in 33 games. The former Stuttgart hitman has carried his form into this season too, bagging nine times in his first 15 matches. He didn't have the best of World Cups, netting once, but has still attracted scouts from all over Europe since.
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
Two seasons ago it seemed inconceivable that the former Sunderland midfielder could ever make a list like this, having struggled initially at Anfield under Kenny Dalglish. But the young central midfielder seemingly came of age as the Reds challenged for the Premier League title last season, forging a strong bong with Steven Gerrard and establishing himself as an England regular. Consistency is the name of the game now.
Christian Eriksen (Tottenham)
Spurs' most influential outfield player may be too hard to ignore if he continues pulling rabbits out of hats for the Londoners. Five goals in 13 games this season is an excellent return from a midfielder who also creates plenty on a weekly basis, even if the numbers say he's still awaiting a Premier League assist this term.
Paco Alcacer (Valencia)
It took Diego Costa eight games to open his account for Spain, against lowly Luxembourg, but 21-year-old Alcacer wasted no time putting the Chelsea hitman to shame. Since making his debut against France in early September, the Valencia striker netted three goals in Spain's next four qualifiers, including an equaliser off the bench in la Roja's shock defeat in Slovakia. Four goals and as many assists in 12 games for his club this season demonstrates a youngster on the rise.
William Carvalho (Sporting)
It's no wonder the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have all been keen on the excellent young defensive midfielder. The Angola-born star is already a regular for club and country aged just 22, providing promise in a Portugal side clawing their way back from an awful World Cup. Assured in possession, intelligent and strong in the tackle, Carvalho is now showcasing his talents in the Champions League, where he has played every minute of Sporting's campaign so far.
OK so they're not the same person, but the two Porto full-backs share a lot in common. They play on either side of the back four, are both 23 and Brazil internationals. Alex Sandro has been in Portugal for half a year longer than his compatriot, Danilo, who's been deemed good enough to oust Dani Alves from the national team setup. Don't be surprised when they're being linked with a club near you in the near future.
Lucas Moura (PSG)
It's only now that Moura is really starting to show what he's really capable of in Paris. PSG's fifth-most expensive player ever (€40m in 2013) started only half of his 36 appearances for the Ligue 1 champions last season, and completed 90 minutes just seven times. An assist return of 13, plus five goals, however, was not bad at all and the 22-year-old Brazilian has added more to his tally this time out. Six net-ripplers in his first 13 league games indicates a player improving his end product.
Marco Verratti (PSG)
Now a fully fledged member of Laurent Blanc's first team in the French capital, and a potential long-term successor to Andrea Pirlo for Italy, Verratti is heading in the right direction. Blanc hasn't hesitated in throwing the former Pescara youngster into PSG's big games this season, and was rewarded with a goal from the 22-year-old in the French side's 3-2 win over Barcelona in the Champions League. Five assists in 12 league games this season is no bad return either.
Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon)
Liverpool... Newcastle... Borussia Dortmund... Everton – just a handful of the clubs linked with Lyon's hottest prospect in the last year. Now a full France international, the 23-year-old joint-leads the Ligue 1 scoring charts after 15 games this season, following 22 in 54 games for les Gones last time out (all competitions). The French speedster is going places – in all likeliness, quite literally soon enough.
Read on for those who must do better...
Must do better?
Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
Not a year overly plagued by injury, though the Gunners midfielder is now set for a three-month spell on the sidelines with another ankle knack. Wilshere did miss 11 games from March to May, but more to the point seems unable to truly fulfil the potential Arsene Wenger & Co. know exists in their talented academy graduate. Nobody seems to know what his best position is, which doesn't help, but deep down you know there's an excellent player who should be able to showcase his talents more regularly. If only he'd stop picking fights with anything that breathes too...
Willian (Chelsea)
Largely overshadowed by the likes of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Oscar at Chelsea, Willian is yet to prove he's a £32 million player at Stamford Bridge. Clearly the Brazilian is well-liked by both Jose Mourinho and national team boss Dunga, but he's not often trusted to start the Blues' biggest games – see sub appearances against Liverpool and Arsenal in recent months. Ultimately he needs to add more goals and assists to his game: he's got just two of each this season in all competitions.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Dortmund)
One of the few players Jurgen Klopp could rely on to stay fit for Borussia Dortmund last season, but a slightly unwhelming debut campaign for the Gabonese forward nonetheless. Thirteen goals from 32 appearances in 2013/14 wasn't too shabby, but the 25-year-old wasn't a guaranteed starter and netted only five times in all competitions after the winter break. This season has seen improvements, with 10 goals from 20 games in a more regular role up front.
Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg)
Finally at the right club, it's likely the Belgian will kick on in 2015 and continue his excellent form with the Wolves. Nine assists in 13 Bundesliga games this season looks to be a sign of things to come for a player who didn't cut the mustard at Chelsea but looks right at home back in the Bundesliga.
Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
The former rock isn't so impenetrable anymore. Most of this season's discourse has concerned rumours of a falling-out between him and boss Luis Enrique, which appear to be wide of the mark considering the centre-back has started Barca's last three games in all competitions. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old is no longer a certain starter at the Camp Nou... nor as reliable as he once was.
Jordi Alba (Barcelona)
The left-back won't look back on 2014 too fondly, with his club side preparing to emerge from it potless and his country embarrassed in Brazil. Alba is, however, already looking improved under Luis Enrique after Gerardo Martino's disappointing reign in Catalonia, and should return to this list this time next year if he and his team-mates can dust themselves down and crack on in La Liga. Defensively, there are still question marks perhaps.
Joao Moutinho (Monaco)
Moutinho has become something of a forgotten man since joining Monaco from Porto alongside James Rodriguez in May 2013 – and it's largely down to his form. The midfielder may have thought a lucrative move to France would be the perfect stepping stone for a switch elsewhere, but performances for both club and country haven't been up to scratch since: just one goal and seven assists in Ligue 1 last season followed by an underwhelming World Cup with Portugal. Nevertheless, he's got the talent to make it onto this list next time out.
Whose year was plagued by injury hell?
The injured mob
Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich)
An injury-ravaged year for the talented Spain international, who hasn't featured this season due to torn knee ligaments. In all, the 23-year-old has made only 13 appearances in 2014 after suffering a string of problems stretching back to late March. When fit he's a crucial cog in Pep Guardiola's Bayern machine, capable of changing games with his superb range of passing – and even goals like the below.
No.39 on our 2013 edition, but a drop-out this time having only returned in October after more than a year on the sidelines. Dortmund's classy 24-year-old missed Germany's World Cup triumph after injuring his spine on international duty in August 2013, following a magnificent season in which he helped Jurgen Klopp's men reach the Champions League final.
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Joe was the Deputy Editor at FourFourTwo until 2022, having risen through the FFT academy and been on the brand since 2013 in various capacities.
By weekend and frustrating midweek night he is a Leicester City fan, and in 2020 co-wrote the autobiography of former Foxes winger Matt Piper – subsequently listed for both the Telegraph and William Hill Sports Book of the Year awards.
