Thinking George Best never got to play in the World Cup, seems a pity that really good players from smaller countries can't play in the major tournament through no fault of their own - maybe the WC should have 31 teams + a team combined of the best of the rest, maybe picked by FIFA and managed by a retired *great*??

Can Digital Spyers suggest names of today to go into a 22-man squad (probably starting with Bale!) from countries that didn't make it? Maybe only from countries that have a population under 5 million??

Aaron Ramsey.

No all nations should have to qualify, having players just turn up who didn't wouldn't be right or fair (bar the host nation of course).

If we are playing make believe, then the first name should be Ibra, rather than Bale.

Ibrahimovic
Lewandowski
Hamsik
Alaba
Ramsey
Erikksen
Cech
Goodwillie

In some confederations, qualifying can be easier than others (Australia for starters)? So it's not quite a level playing field.

Gawd help England if they get drawn against those!!

I get what you are saying, but it is still a path that nations take to get there, (Australia's path in Asia is not the hardest, nor though is it the easiest either).

Just letting players turn up (bar the host nation) would be wrong.

Cech
Piszczek
Benatia
Ivanovic
Alaba
Ramsey
Bale
Mkhitaryan
Turan
Lewandowski
Ibrahimovic

I picked this squad on a whim on the other thread but it would be better with the stipulation that you can only pick one player per country. Otherwise you end up with a very very strong side (see below).


GK
Handanovic (Slovenia)
Cech (Czech Rep)
McGregor (Scotland)

CB
Benatia (Morocco)
Ivanovic (Serbia)
Subotic (Serbia)
Skrtel (Slovakia)

FB
Coleman (Rep Ireland)
Alaba (Austria)
Piszczek (Poland)

MD
Matic (Serbia)
Mkhitaryan (Armenia)
Hamsik (Slovakia)
Nuri Sahin (Turkey)
Ramsey (Wales)
Erikssen (Denmark)

WG
Bale (Wales)
Yarmolenko (Ukraine)
Konoplyanka (Ukraine)
Salah (Egypt)
Arda Turan (Turkey)

STR
Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
Lewandowski (Poland)

You're right for the World Cup, but there are tournaments where a combined team from the minor countries could compete - Confederation's Cup for one. Can't see a problem with letting the good players who don't make it have their moment in the sun?

The other alternative is to have a Smaller Country's World Cup ( 2 million population max) and - possibly - allow the winning country a place in the tournament proper? Of course, Iceland nearly did!!

Good post, and a strong squad! How many of those countries are below the 5m population mark though; are they all below 10m??

1 per country...

Handanovic (Slovenia)
Cech (Czech Republic)
McGregor (Scotland)

Benatia (Morocco)
Ivanovic (Serbia)
Chiriches (Romania)
Coleman (Ireland)
Alaba (Austria)
Abdennour (Tunisia)

Diame (Senegal)
Nuri Sahin (Turkey)
Eriksson (Denmark)
Mkhitaryan (Armenia)
Hamsik (Slovakia)
Bale (Wales)
Konoplyanka (Ukraine)
Salah (Egypt)
Dzsudszak (Hungary)

Lewandowski (Poland)
Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
Pandev (Macedonia)
Aubameyang (Gabon)
Jovetic (Montenegro)

Great idea

No George Weah?

Err he's 47.

Nailed-on place in England's starting eleven....

How do you work out that Australia have easy qualifying ? They travel more than any other nation to try and qualify

The Confederations Cup could be interesting if the format was changed so each confederation picked a team of their best players to participate.