‘Astonishing’ Sunderland rise as they edge Newcastle in World Cup player involvement count | OneFootball

Sunderland are set to be well represented at this summer’s World Cup, a remarkable turnaround that sees them pip Newcastle United in a new player involvement table. According to Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats now have a larger contingent heading to the tournament than their neighbours.

Four years ago, going into the 2022 finals in Qatar, Sunderland were in their fourth straight season in League One. Bailey Wright was the squad’s sole representative, coming on as a substitute for Australia against Denmark in their final group game.

This time there are eight Sunderland players selected. Robin Roefs and Brian Brobbey for the Netherlands, Wilson Isidor for Haiti, Noah Sadiki for DR Congo, Granit Xhaka for Switzerland, Chemsdine Talbi for Morocco, Omar Aldarete for Paraguay and Habib Diarra for Senegal.

Xhaka is set for his fourth World Cup. Only six players have appeared at five, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lothar Matthäus, Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Marquez and Andrés Guardado, with three of those from Mexico. Messi and Ronaldo could reach a sixth this summer if they feature.

In the club-by-club table, Sunderland sit joint seventh on eight alongside Brighton, ahead of Newcastle on seven. Manchester City lead with 18, Arsenal have 15, Manchester United and Crystal Palace 12, Liverpool 11, Aston Villa nine. Tottenham and Chelsea are on seven, Fulham and Wolves six, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Burnley five, Brentford, Everton, Leeds and West Ham four.

Source: Sunderland Echo