Big names absent: Ronaldo, Salah, and Neymar out of the 2025 Club World Cup

 

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Big names absent: Ronaldo, Salah, and Neymar out of the 2025 Club World Cup

Despite the huge momentum surrounding the 2025 Club World Cup, which will feature 32 of the world's elite clubs, the tournament will be missing several of the greatest football stars of recent years.

Among the most notable absentees is Cristiano Ronaldo, whose Saudi club Al-Nassr failed to qualify despite his individual brilliance and recent scoring of his 938th goal.

His transfer to a participating club also failed to materialize, closing the door on a potential showdown with his eternal rival Lionel Messi.

Mohamed Salah, a Liverpool pillar since 2017 and the first Egyptian to win the Champions League, is also absent after the Reds failed to collect the required points between 2021 and 2024 despite winning the English Premier League title this season.

Neymar, plagued by injuries, has not joined any participating club despite rumors of a move to Inter Miami, where he would have been a magical attacking addition alongside Messi and Suarez.

The disappointment also extends to other historic names, such as Luka Modrić, Thomas Müller, and Kevin De Bruyne, who were also absent due to transfer issues or the technical decline of their clubs.

Thus, the major tournament enters without a number of its anticipated stars, leaving behind a lot of "what if?" questions in the hearts of football fans.