While we marvel at the continued brilliance of the likes of Arjen Robben, Tomas Rosicky and Fernando Torres during what remains of this World Cup, spare a thought for those poor blighters who don't have the chance of playing in Germany because both their parents are, for example, Welsh.
All-time greats such as George Best, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ladislao Kubala never got the chance to star in the game's greatest tournament; and there is a gaggle of talent missing from this year's festival of football because theirs is one of the 173 countries which failed to make it through Fifa's qualifying process.
With honourable mentions to Damien Duff, Obafemi Martins and Dimitar Berbatov, here's my first-choice XI of players whose teams missed out this time. I've only allowed myself one player from each country, and, in keeping with the attacking emphasis most nations have demonstrated thus far, they'll play in a forward-thinking diamond formation:
Goalkeeper: Shay Given (Ireland)
Right back: Giourkas Seitaridis (Greece) Left back: John Arne Riise (Norway) Centre-back: Sami Hyppia (Finland) Centre-back: Kakha Kaladze (Georgia)
Holding midfielder: Thomas Gravesen (Denmark) Left midfield: Ryan Giggs (Wales) Right midfield: Aleksandr Hleb (Belarus) Top of the diamond: Eidur Gudjohnsen (Iceland)
Striker: Diego Forlán (Uruguay) Striker: Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon)
I reckon they'd be good enough to get to the World Cup quarter-finals. But who do you most wish was in Germany to demonstrate their skills to the world?
