Three Liverpool Stars That Thrived at the World Cup… and Two That Flopped

- - Players

Football with Gold Ticker TapeThere wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Andy Robertson revealed that Diogo Jota was at the forefront of his mind as Scotland qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Jota missed the 2022 edition through injury, which was something not lost on Robbo as the Scots booked their passage to the 2026 tournament with a 4-2 win over Denmark.

After the game, Robertson stopped to reflect on the poignancy of his friend Jota missing out on his World Cup moment.

“I couldn’t get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today. We spoke so much about the World Cup,” he confirmed.

“He missed out last time because of injury, I missed out because Scotland didn’t qualify and we always discussed what it would be like going to the World Cup.

“I know he’ll be somewhere smiling over me tonight.”

At least a dozen Liverpool players will be involved at the 2026 World Cup, barring injury and a loss of form, with France, the Netherlands and Egypt amongst those qualifying – the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Hugo Ekitike, Ibrahima Konate and Mo Salah will all be in the USA, Canada or Mexico.

Florian Wirtz (Germany), Allison (Brazil) and Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina) are just some of the other Reds stars likely to be involved on the big stage, while the World Cup play-offs – the last chance saloon – will provide Sweden (Alexander Isak), Italy (Federico Chiesa) and Northern Ireland (Conor Bradley) with another opportunity to qualify.

The World Cup has been a mixed bag of a tournament for Liverpool players over the years…

Liverpool’s World Cup Wonders

A handful of Liverpool players have lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy, including the English trio of Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan and Gerry Byrne at the famous 1966 World Cup.

Hunt was a big stage player for England, notching three times at the tournament and featuring in all six games as the Three Lions tasted their first – and still only – World Cup glory.

He never received a knighthood for his part in the win – others did, but Hunt wasn’t particularly perturbed… he already felt the love elsewhere.

“I never needed it. I was knighted by the Kop. That means more.”

Others, like Karl-Heinz Riedle and Bernard Diomande, won the World Cup with Germany and France respectively, as did the Spanish trio of Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres and Thiago Alcantara in 2010.

It was Alonso that contributed the most, starting every game for Spain as part of a formidable midfield alongside Sergi Busquets and Xavi.

And it was a tournament in which he showcased his true grit and fortitude, as Alonso suffered a pair of nasty injuries – the first coming BEFORE the semi-final had even kicked off.

The shower door in his hotel room was broken, unbeknownst to Alonso, and he ended up suffering a nasty cut to his knee. He called Spain’s team doctor, Juan Jose Garcia Cota, who recalled:

“He was drenched in blood, the bathroom looked like the shower scene from Psycho. It was totally a crime scene.”

Somehow, Alonso still played in the semi-final. And then, in the final, he was subject to a horrendous tackle from Nigel de Jong – one of the worst in World Cup history.

The Spaniard thought he had broken a rib in the kung fu attack, but played on for an hour as his side lifted the World Cup trophy for the first time.

Other notable performances from Liverpool players at World Cups include Kenny Dalglish, who scored at the 1978 and 1982 tournaments, Didi Hamann – he featured in the 2002 final against Brazil, while England trio John Barnes, Peter Beardsley and Steve McMahon reached the semis in 1990.

But few Reds players have made quite a splash on the World Cup stage as Michael Owen.

At the 1998 edition, aged just 18, Owen scored against Romania – becoming England’s youngest ever World Cup goalscorer – before making global news with his performance against Argentina in the Round of 16.

Owen won a penalty that was converted by Alan Shearer, before notching one of the greatest goals in World Cup history with an amazing individual run and finish.

Although England tasted defeat, Owen won the Best Young Player award and was named in the Best XI of the tournament.

Liverpool’s World Cup Flops

He wasn’t individually responsible, of course, but there’s no doubt that Steven Gerrard, as part of England’s ‘golden generation’ was unable to replicate his Liverpool performances on the World Cup stage.

And while not a flop as such, Luis Suarez turned himself into a villain – again – when his deliberate handball prevented Ghana from scoring at the 2010 edition.

Uruguay won that quarter final, but were dumped out in the semis by the Netherlands… with the suspended Suarez watching on from the stands.

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