So, here it is. After years of waiting for this most controversial of World Cup’s, the kick-off is now almost upon us.
For Liverpool, they’ll see an unusually low number of their squad ship out for Qatar this week. Only seven Reds have made the cut for their countries on the world stage.
This is a result of several high-profile Liverpool player’s missing out on qualification all together. But a couple were also overlooked by their national teams.
As a consequence, Reds fans don’t have too much to get their teeth into over the next month or so. No matter though, because as it turns out, Liverpool have over twice as many of their former players called up for the competition.
We took the liberty of trawling through the squads to find the 16 former Liverpool stars to keep an eye on in Qatar.
Liverpool sell their ‘keepers’
Somewhat surprisingly, Liverpool are very well represented by former players in the goalkeeping stakes. The Reds were crying out for a top ‘keeper when Alisson Becker joined in 2018. But he’s actually joined by three other former Liverpool goalies in the Middle East.
Of those, only Danny Ward of Wales would appear likely to take the No.1 shirt. Meanwhile, Belgium’s Simon Mignolet and late call-up Kamil Grabara of Poland will serve as number’s two and three respectively.
Wales leading the way
Less surprisingly, it’s Wales who can boast the highest number of former Reds in their squad. Neco Williams, Harry Wilson and Joe Allen join Ward in travelling for the Dragons first tournament since 1958.
Meanwhile, two more players who came through the Liverpool academy will be trying to beat them in Group B. Conor Coady and Raheem Sterling burst through the ranks together on Merseyside and have both made the England squad.
Only one other nation can lay claim to having more than one player to don the red of Liverpool. In fact, Uruguay may be many Reds fans choice of team in Qatar given their Liverpool connections.
Not only do they have a club with the same name in their capital of Montevideo, but they also count Sebastian Coates and Luis Suarez in their number. Add to that the fact that Darwin Nunez will likely be leading the line, and perhaps there’ll be a few Uruguay shirts spotted in the bars of Liverpool.
From league winners to forgotten men
Including those already mentioned, there will be a pretty eclectic mix of former Liverpool stars on show.
From those who played just once for the club (Canada’s Liam Millar, now of Basel), to the legendary Sadio Mane of Senegal.
Takumi Minamino of Japan, Dejan Lovren of Croatia and Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri all won titles with the Reds. All will be on show here.
And finally, to something of a forgotten man. Marko Gruijic was the first signing of the Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield. Although it never worked out for him at the club, he’ll be aiming to make his mark with Serbia as they take on Alisson and Fabinho’s Brazil.
See, there’s plenty of interest for Liverpool after all!
Liverpool’s sold XI at the World Cup: Mignolet; Sterling, Coady, Coates, Lovren, Williams; Grujic; Shaqiri, Minamino; Suarez, Mane