9 Players Racing Against Time To Be At World Cup 2022

 The World Cup is the biggest football tournament on the planet and it only takes place once every four years. Thus, it’s easy to understand why every footballer dreams of being there.

However, in a season with a tight schedule like this year, they are forced to race against time to prepare for the upcoming tournament. Many injuries have been witnessed and lots of tears have been shed on European pitches this season.

Meanwhile, the ball will officially roll on Qatar grass fields less than one month from now, marking a new World Cup season. How would these injured players overcome their problem and their inner battle to catch the flight to the Middle East by the end of the year? In this article, we will look at the top ten players who are rushing to attend the 2022 World Cup and their current conditions.

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Son Heung-min

In the victory over Marseille in the Premier League group stage, Son Heung-min unfortunately had a severe collision with Mbemba in the air. The Congolese defender’s shoulder hit Son Heung Min in the face, causing the Korean striker to lie in the courtyard in pain with one of his eyes swollen.

After assessing the situation, the medical staff announced Son had a concussion in the head and the condition seems worsening. As a result, the leader of the Korean team has to lie on the operating table to repair the bone fracture around his left eye area. This is, of course, not positive news for fans of the Korean national team, as Son Heung-min has been the most prominent Korean player in Europe in recent years.

Yet, Son has a slim chance of attending the upcoming World Cup after the surgery. He will be able to play in a mask; however, it largely depends on Son’s determination.

The World Cup on TV is just less than a month away. The Korean team’s ticket to WC 2022 was earned by Son and his teammates, yet his ticket to the world’s biggest football tournament remains a big question.

Emiliano Martinez

In the game between Newcastle and Aston Villa, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez injured his head after a collision with a teammate. After being given first aid by medical staff, the Argentine goalkeeper got to carry on the match. But just five minutes later, Martinez’s injury showed signs of vulnerability, resulting in the 1992-born goalkeeper collapsing on the field.

Fans may mourn over this news because Emiliano Martinez was among the key players of the team. In 2021, he helped the homeland team win the Copa América championship.

Up to now, there has been no official information about Martinez’s condition. This makes the Argentine people even more concerned about the fear that Argentina’s No.1 goalkeeper will not be attending this World Cup season. Regarding the goalkeeper, Martinez will have to work hard with great determination in order to return to the field with Messi and other teammates in the quest for the Gold Trophy in the land of Qatar.

Raphael Varane

In the match between Manchester United and Chelsea for the thirteenth round of the Premier League, an unnecessary injury brought Varane into tears. The French midfielder cried not only because of the pain but also out of fear for his future ahead of the approaching World Cup season.

However, luck smiled on those who did not give up when Varane was said to be fully qualified for the upcoming World Cup. Perhaps this is good news for those who love the French team, especially when Les Bleus is in a difficult transition period with the unfortunate absence of injured stars - Pogba and Kante. Now, fans need not worry, as the instrumental player in the defense Varane will certainly be able to attend the World Cup.

Paulo Dybala

In the game between Roma and Lecce in the 9th round of Serie A on TV, Paulo Dybala had a goal in the penalty match, directly sealing a 2-1 victory against the Italian club. Instead of celebrating the striking goal, the Argentine striker hugged his left thigh and limped with a pained expression.

Whilst it’s not unfamiliar to hear about Paulo Dybala’s injury news, in the context that the World Cup is approaching, this left quadriceps problem might be hard for him to swallow. Doctors advise him not to attend any matches to give time to recover. This means, he has to give up his dream of playing at the year-end World Cup, which has led him to despair for a while.

Currently, La Joya is focusing on the treatment of his injury. Despite his absence from recent matches, Dybala still updates the status of training and recovery regularly on Instagram, along with the promise of his premature return. This could not be happier news for the Argentina team as Dybala is in good recovering form. Meanwhile, he also shows his great desire to attend the upcoming World Cup season.

Reece James

Reece James suffered from a painful knee injury after a fierce encounter with Rafael Leao in a 2-0 win over AC Milan in the Champions League group stage. Hearing of the news, fans of both Chelsea and the England team were extremely worried about his medical condition.

Luckily, fortune smiled on this defender. His injury was diagnosed as too serious and the 1999-born defender said he was fine. Reece is said to return to training with his teammates soon.

Head coach Gareth Southgate could not have been happier to hear that, especially when the right wing of the England team is very alarming. That said, Reece James needs to be faster in the race against time and against himself to catch up with his teammates on the plane to Qatar.

Kyle Walker

Kyle Walker is another England right defender that needs to work hard to overcome his groin injury in time for this World Cup season. According to Sky, it’s not determined when the defender can be back on the pitch and the final verdict is natural recovery speed.

With the firm determination of a player wishing to attend the world’s greatest tournament, Kyle Walker certainly won’t live up to his first name - Walker - but will be a quick runner and win the race against the opponent named injury. It’s expected that he will be present in Qatar at the end of the year.

The England head coach may be the happiest to learn about it. Considering their splendid achievements in recent years, Gareth Southgate is plotting a perfect strategy to bring The Three Lions to the Championship, and Kyle will be an important factor in his plan.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Chelsea’s invincible goalkeeper under Graham Potter’s reign now stops at nine. In their visit to Brighton, Chelsea lost with a score of 1-4. The primary goalkeeper was forced to pick up the ball three times in the first half.

Finally, Kepa left the field after the break. His early exit is because of a pain in the inside of his foot, whose severity remains unknown. This brings negative news to the Spain team as Kepa has been performing excellently recently.

However, that he was not on the preliminary list boosts Kepa’s confidence about his ticket to attend World Cup 2022. That said, the Chelsea goalkeeper needs to race against time to recover in time for the world’s greatest football tournament.

While things seemed to have sunk into oblivion and people had been acquainted with Édouard Mendy’s appearance, the flag was then handed over to Kepa. Surely, the injured football star had to keep the strong discipline to overcome all barriers.

Romelu Lukaku

The American striker is entering the most difficult gap of his career. Since his reunion with Inter in 2010, Lukaku hasn’t been able to play regularly because of injuries. After returning, Lukaku, once again, suffered a calf problem. In the context that the WC is only about three weeks away from kicking off, this is not good news for the Belgian team.

After all, Lukaku needs to rush his time to be qualified for the World Cup.

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