Never before in the history of football has a team sent 17 of its players, regardless of their national teams and countries of origin, to a FIFA World Cup. At Russia 2018, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City came close, with 16, establishing in fact the record still valid until this edition. Previously, Arsenè Wenger’s Arsenal set the record with 15 footballers for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. But never before had a team managed to send 17 of its members to the most prestigious national team tournament in the world, until it had, with the exception of another last-minute surprise, the Football Club Barcelona.

In front of fate and the misfortune you suffered Jose Luis Gaya They wanted Barca to reach that record number, that was the Bayern Munich, pet peeve of blaugranas in Europe lately, the one who had reached this amount. Among his German internationals (Neuer, Kimmich, Musiala, Goretzka, Thomas Müller, Gnabry and Sané), French (Upamecano, Pavard, Lucas Hernandez and Coman), Canadians (Davies), Dutch (DeLigt), Croats, (Josip Stanisic), Cameroonian (Choupo–Motivate), Moroccans (mazraoui) and Senegalese (Sadio Mane), Munich residents added 17 players in the World Cupbut The last minute fall of Mané He upset the cabals of the Bavarian team, and the Senegalese team.

Instead, another injury was responsible for Barcelona’s change of role with Bayern. After confirming the loss of Gayá in the ranks of ‘La Roja’, Luis Enrique decided to call the player from the Barca squad instead Alexander Balde, which hasn’t even debuted with the Absolute yet. Thus, the Catalan club comes to bring those 17 players record thanks to their Spanish internationals (Eric García, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati, Ferrán Torres and now Balde), poles (Robert Lewandowski), French (Ousmane Dembélé and Jules Koundé), Brazilians (raffia), Uruguayans (Ronald Araujo), Germans (Ter Stegen), Dutch (Dejong Yes To pay) and Danish (Christensen).

The clubs with the most players in the history of the World Cups.

If the record of a single edition is held, in the absence of an official launch of the World Cup, Barça thanks to Qatar 2022, is not the only record that the Barcelona club has broken with this extraordinary contribution of players. international. Indeed, thanks to the 17 of Qatar, the club which tops the list of clubs with the most players called up in the entire history of the World Cups it is also Barcelona. This privilege belonged to Juventus of Turin until Russia 2018, but the 11 players who go to the World Cup on behalf of the “bianconeros” are insufficient to maintain their advantage.

There ‘Signora Vecchia‘ has historically contributed, since the first World Cup in 1930, to the spectacular figure of 137 footballers (also counting Qatar), but with the 17 of barca add to the whole history of the blaugrana 142 World Cup players. The real Madridwho was fourth after Inter Milan, now sum 130 and he surpasses the Italians, even if he is still far from Juve, and even more from his eternal rival.

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