Football players who never won an international cap

The biggest stage one can ever dream of as someone aspiring to make it big in football is to represent their country at an international level while earning a living with the club week in week out and maybe who knows, win some silverware. While a select lucky few manage to make the cut and an even more Elite group of individuals manage to carve out a legacy for themselves. 

There are an awful lot who, for one reason or the another are not able to make it including those who did merit an international cap during their playing days but weren't able to get one despite their talents. A few select cases who fell in this unfortunate predicament are the subject of the list. 

Mikel Arteta 
 

Current Arsenal Boss and former Arsenal, Everton, PSG and Barcelona B midfielder, Arteta has had multiple Caps within the Spanish outranks right up until U-21. He was even mooted to switch allegiance to England in order  to gain an international cap but thanks to Xavi and Iniesta and his best mate Alonso to an extent, he never managed to sneak in a spot for himself during the entirety of his career whereas in any Era before or after that generation. Arteta could have been a mainstay in the senior side for years. 

Mark Nobel 

Former Arsenal and West academy product and for most part of his career a one club man with over 400 appearances for the club, many of them in the Premier League. It is surprising that he only went on to represent the three Lions only up to the U-20 level but did win some silverware at youth level but never got a chance to replicate that at senior international level where England has been clamouring for it to "Come Home". But he would be proud of the career he has had and is currently the sporting director for the Hammers. 

Mohammad Salim (Celtic)

The first Indian player to go abroad was Salim for the Hoops way back when India was still under colonial rule and thus never had an independent national team. Thus to dream of his potential exploits  for the blue tigers would be nothing but a pipe dream and so was his European career as he went back to India not too long after due to being homesick and played out his remaining  days within the Indian subcontinent. 

Adaílton

Former PSG and Brazil U-20 star and Adailton, a namer tou would have never heard of if you started watching football after 2010 or even during the 2010 world cup as while the samba squad was Jam packed with superstars one name who had also played in serie A for Genoa Bologna and Hellas Verona was missing. This may look not to flattering, but for someone who is the record U-20 scorer and had held the record for most goals in a single match before Haaland broke it, not even a single crack at the senior squad is nothing but a crying shame. 

John Bostock

From being offered a potential 10 year contract by Barcelona at the age of 14 and subsequently making debut for Crystal Palace in the Premier League  at the age of 15, transfer to Tottenham at 16 and being the international captain for the three Lions at U-16 and U-17 level to not even have an international cap listed for Trinidad and Tobago. He at that time looked like another Walcott like situation where he would be thrown into the senior squad at a tender age. But never even came close despite having such a glittering youth career and a pretty decent senior club career .

Cover Credits -Khel Now