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Shattered dreams: best XI from countries not at the World Cup

The Guardian Sport Saturday 06 June 2026, 13:58 UTC By Yara El-Shaboury 1 min read
Key Points

From Donnarumma to Kvaratskhelia, this all-star team, with a maximum of two players per country, all have the summer offThe 27-year-old Italy captain is widely considered one of the best keepers in the world. After a high-profile move to Manchester City, he has quickly adapted to the Premier League demands for ball-playing, a skill he honed at Paris Saint-Germain. Despite his Euro 2020 penalty-saving heroics, Donnarumma failed to stop a single one against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the...

From Donnarumma to Kvaratskhelia, this all-star team, with a maximum of two players per country, all have the summer off

The 27-year-old Italy captain is widely considered one of the best keepers in the world. After a high-profile move to Manchester City, he has quickly adapted to the Premier League demands for ball-playing, a skill he honed at Paris Saint-Germain. Despite his Euro 2020 penalty-saving heroics, Donnarumma failed to stop a single one against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Azzurri’s crunch World Cup playoff.

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the World Cup (EVENT) Donnarumma (LOCATION) Kvaratskhelia (LOCATION) Italy (LOCATION) Manchester City (LOCATION) Paris Saint-Germain (LOCATION) Bosnia and Herzegovina (LOCATION) Azzurri (ORG) World Cup (EVENT)
Originally published by The Guardian Sport Read original →

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