Three players who perform better for club than country – and three who don’t

While the international break is usually an absolute chore, the proximity of the World Cup makes this one a little more exciting. At the sharp end of the domestic season and buzzing from a sustained spell of club football, players now have an opportunity to impress their national team managers and fight for a place at Russia 2018.

As the last real chance for those on the domestic scene to play their way into international contention, this week has got us thinking: which players perform better for their club than their country, and vice versa?

First up three players who play better for their clubs, followed by three who are more comfortable on the international stage.

Kevin De Bruyne

Though Kevin De Bruyne has been the driving force behind Manchester City’s near-total domestic dominance this season, he has – believe it or not – scored a single goal for Belgium in 19 appearances over the last two years.

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He was part of the side which, despite being tipped as potential champions, lost 3-1 to Wales in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016. Come the World Cup, De Bruyne and Belgium have much to prove.

Cristiano Ronaldo

This is bound to be a controversial one, considering that Portugal are reigning European champions and Ronaldo was a crucial part of their triumphant Euro 2016 campaign.

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We’re not saying Ronaldo isn’t good at international level, simply that he hasn’t matched his goalscoring feats for Real Madrid with his national team. While that may have something to do with the calibre of the teammates around him, the fact is that Ronaldo’s performances for Portugal are often less effective than those for Real.

Lionel Messi

Nobody can fault Lionel Messi’s efforts for Argentina, even if he has never reached the same heights playing for his country as he has with Barcelona. While he has come in for enormous stick from the Argentine press over the years, Messi was instrumental in the Albiceleste reaching the World Cup final in 2014 and the showpiece of the Copa America two years later.

He was also the most devastated man on the pitch when Argentina lost both finals, failing to score in either and missing a crucial spot kick in the Copa America penalty shoot-out against Chile. It’s not been for want of trying, but Messi just hasn’t been able to match his glories with Barca on the international stage.

Honourable ‘club over country’ mentions: Paulo Dybala (Argentina), Raheem Sterling (England), Diego Costa (Spain), David Luiz (Brazil), Hulk (Brazil)

Peter Crouch

He may be an outside bet for the England squad these days – no surprise really, given that he’s 37 years old – but Peter Crouch is the ultimate ‘country over club’ footballer. Despite being a one-in-three, if not one-in-four, striker at club level, Crouch has a ratio for England of just over a goal every other game.

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Whether his spindly limbs were powered by pure patriotism or his international scoring run was just luck, Crouch’s days as a rival to Emile Heskey as England striker were truly glorious. Who knows, Gareth Southgate could decide he needs a target man in Russia and Crouch could come back for one, possibly disastrous, last hurrah with the Three Lions.

Mario Gomez

Currently at VfB Stuttgart, Mario Gomez has had a mixed few years bouncing between various clubs. Though the former Bayern Munich striker has scored six goals in 10 appearances for Stuttgart this term, spells with Wolfsburg and Fiorentina (either side of one prolific season with Besiktas) have been less fruitful.

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As such, Gomez’s longevity with Germany – literally the best international side in the world – has been surprising, especially given he has not always been the most popular player with fans. He scored two goals from two appearances for Die Mannschaft in 2017 and has 31 goals from 71 games, this having made his international debut in 2007 and appeared for the German national side every year since.

Aaron Ramsey

While Aaron Ramsey has never quite matched his goalscoring form during the 2013/14 season, Arsenal’s intermittent midfield general has been slightly improved at club level this term. With his last two campaigns disrupted by injury and his performances unsettled as a result – he has also found himself playing out of position on occasion – Ramsey has shown glimmers of his true abilities over the last few months even as Arsenal have struggled as a team.

There is no such need to qualify his performances for Wales in recent seasons. One of Chris Coleman’s standout players as the Welsh national team reached the semi-finals of the Euros, Ramsey has thrived as a box-to-box player for Wales and far outperformed his efforts in the Premier League.

Honourable ‘country over club’ mentions: Sergio Romero (Argentina), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Kyle Lafferty (Northern Ireland), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark)