Five Legendary Players We Can't Wait to See Back on Top at the 2026 World Cup: Pogba, Neymar...

The former Manchester United midfield player Paul Pogba is poised to return through a move to Monaco – however, might he be able to participate in the 2026 World Cup? World Cup ?

Pogba, who has scarcely featured over three seasons since leaving Old Trafford, is not alone as a previous top-tier star aiming to reclaim his form and demonstrate to global soccer what was missed before the upcoming summer tournament hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

These five renowned footballers are ones we hope will come back for the World Cup.

Paul Pogba

When France won the World Cup in 2018, one of their standout performers was Paul Pogba. It’s surprising that apart from winning the smaller Nations League title with his country in 2021, he hasn't added significantly more major trophies over the past seven years.

However, let's consider Manchester United. Trapped in the midst of turmoil at one of Europe's most problematic and underachieving clubs, Pogba's prime years did not live up to expectations. As for his time back at Juventus, it's best left unmentioned.

Moving to Monaco and spending a season in Ligue 1, competing in his native land for the very first time, could just be what he requires.

When it comes to team selection, Didier Deschamps has an abundance of talented players at his disposal. However, one can assume he would still find a spot for the 32-year-old if they manage to get back into top form.

Neymar

A string of poor career choices coupled with accumulating injuries has put us in an odd situation where Brazil's leading scorer of all time might be underrated.

At PSG, where they fell short of winning the Ballon d'Or as expected, he managed 118 goals and 79 assists across only 173 matches.

Those are obscene When available, he was consistently outstanding with numbers.

However, after potentially squandering his peak years (though his accountant may have a different opinion), Neymar’s later career appears likely to disappoint as well.

After recovering from an ACL injury that kept him out of action for nearly his whole stint in Saudi Arabia, he has returned to his childhood team, Santos. His main objective now is to secure a spot in next summer's World Cup.

Neymar was injured and not present when Brazil claimed victory at the 2019 Copa América. His sole team title to date is the Olympic Gold medal.

The path to recovery has been bumpy, yet Brazil hasn't seemed themselves without their star player over recent years. Carlo Ancelotti desperately needs him to return to top form.

Isco

"Overlooked" could be an exaggeration when referring to Isco since he has participated in not one but two recent European finals. He impressed during the initial period playing for Real Betis in the Conference League against Chelsea, followed by coming on as a substitute for Spain in the Nations League.

The midfielder from Spain has been outstanding for two consecutive seasons under coach Manuel Pellegrini's command at the Verdiblancos club. He deservedly earned a call-up to the national team, though an injury prevented him from being part of the victorious Euro 2024 squad known as La Roja.

However, Isco also experienced his period of struggle. He stands as motivation for the others mentioned here, being slightly further along in his journey back.

Following his revival with Betis, he had a spell with the Real Madrid bomb squad, went six months without being signed by any club, and faced disappointment during his time at Sevilla.

At 33 years old, he continues to demonstrate that class endures indefinitely. Pay attention, Pogba and Neymar.

Dele Alli

We're now squarely in the realm of wishful thinking.

"I have an alert on my phone every day at 11 o'clock for the World Cup 2026," Dele said to Sky Sports last year.

Everyone might say 'he hasn't played for a whole year,' but achieving that is exactly what I'm aiming for. I am well aware of my capabilities.

The clock is ticking for the midfielder to achieve that aspiration. Last season, he was dismissed during his nine-minute appearance as part of Cesc Fabregas' Como team.

Dele is still tied to the emerging Serie A team for an additional season and is collaborating with a leading young coach.

At 29 years old, he has the potential for a comeback, yet it has been at least half a decade since he displayed his prime form. He hasn’t earned an England cap since 2019.

We're hoping he proves everyone wrong.

Mario Gotze

Infamous for scoring the winning goal in Germany’s 2014 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina, Götze’s subsequent career trajectory has—predictably—not attained similar levels of success since then.

The attacking midfielder failed to reach the expected standards during his time at Bayern Munich, and his comeback at Borussia Dortmund didn’t live up to expectations. However, he has since had a steady though not spectacular stint towards the end of his career at PSV and Eintrcht Frankfurt.

Following a five-year absence from the national team, Götze was unexpectedly called up as part of Hansi Flick’s roster for the 2022 World Cup.

He hasn't gotten many opportunities under Julian Nagelsmann lately, but unexpected things can occur.

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