In the period between 2008 - 2012, the Spanish side was purely dominated by players from Barcelona and Real Madrid. The extent was such that the fans wanted Lionel Messi to play for Spain as well. The seven time Ballon d'Or winner even qualified for Spanish citizenship in his early days but when his book was launched he quoted - "I was asked informally if I wanted to play for Spain, but I always said that I wanted to play for my national team because I love Argentina and these are the only colours I want to wear."

The instance highlights the magnitude of club culture in Football. While in other sports the window for club matches is restricted and the international circuit rules the calendar year. However, in football, the functioning is entirely different. There is a designated international break for friendlies, international competitions, and other continental tournaments are organised and the remaining period is governed by club football.

This is one of the basic reasons why players usually spend more time in cities they play club football than in their own country. Back in the day, there was also a period when the Bayern Munich side was dominated by local talent but the club culture in today's time has grown tremendously and the constant transfers have led to a cosmopolitan culture in every major club. Right from Premier League to Ligue 1, the abundance of talent has defined how to spread out the club culture. While Qatar may have been skeptical in accepting varied cultures in organising the 'Biggest Show on Earth.' Clubs around the globe have surely welcomed people from different nationalities. Here, we will be looking at the top seven clubs represented at FIFA World Cup 2022. Where do the Giants like Barcelona, Bayern, and Manchester City fit in? let's find out.

1. Bayern Munich – 17

The german giants have always been remembered for polishing home talents. Muller being the most recognised name, the Bundesliga has dominated both Europe and talents across the globe. They also occupy the number 1 spot when it comes to representation in Qatar 2022. With 17 players participating in the FIFA World Cup 2022 they have still produced a healthy number of people for the German side too.

Cameroon: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting; Canada: Alphonso Davies; Croatia: Josip Stanisic; France: Kingsley Coman, Lucas Hernández, Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano; Germany: Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Müller, Jamal Musiala, Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sané; Morocco: Noussair Mazraoui; Netherlands: Matthijs de Ligt; Senegal: Sadio Mane

2. Manchester City – 16

Premier League giants Manchester City may have failed to win the Champions League but in quest of acquiring the coveted trophy, they brought in Pep Guardiola a few years back. With Pep's arrival, the Manchester-based side signed some of the best talents from all over the globe. The 'Aguero' moment in City's history is sealed but the arrival of Kevin De Bruyne from Chelsea got to be their biggest find. With 16 representatives in Qatar, the club is second on the list

Argentina: Julián Álvarez; Belgium: Kevin de Bruyne; Brazil: Ederson; England: Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Kalvin Phillips, John Stones, Kyle Walker; Germany: Ilkay Güngodan; Netherlands: Nathan Aké; Portugal: Bernardo Silva, João Cancelo, Ruben Dias; Spain: Aymeric Laporte, Rodri; Switzerland: Manuel Akanji

3. Barcelona – 16

The Spanish Mavericks, Barcelona may have been struggling recently, but to bring the glory days back, they brought in their Maverick Xavi to lead the way. With Xavi's arrival, the club focused on investing in global talents despite their financial woes. The Spanish club however still produces some of the best young talents in the Country. 
With 16 representatives in Qatar, they are third on the list.

Brazil: Raphinha; Denmark: Andreas Christensen; France: Jules Koundé, Ousmane Dembélé; Germany: Marc-André ter Stegen; Netherlands: Frenkie de Jong, Memphis Depay; Poland: Robert Lewandowski; Spain: Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Ansu Fati, Eric García, Gavi, Pedri, Ferran Torres; Uruguay: Ronald Araújo

4. Al Sadd – 15
Ghana: André Ayew; Republic of Korea: Jung Woo-young; Qatar: Akram Afif, Ali Assadalla, Meshaal Barsham, Salem al-Hajri, Abdelkarim Hassan, Hassan al-Haydos, Boualem Khoukhi, Mosaab Khidir, Mostafa Meshaal, Pedro Miguel, Tarek Salman, Saad Al-Sheeb, Mohammed Waad.

5. Manchester United – 13

With Manchester United in their rebuilding phase, the 20 times PL champions have always lured players for varied reasons. Since Erik Ten Hag took the command, more people from South America and Europe were brought into the scheme of things. Before the World Cup, they had 14 representatives in Qatar but with Ronaldo's contract getting terminated, they are left with only 13 which is still a very good number for a side that is still rebuilding. 

Argentina: Lisandro Martínez; Brazil: Antony, Casemiro, Fred; Denmark: Christian Eriksen; England: Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw; France: Raphaël Varane; Netherlands: Tyrell Malacia; Portugal: Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Uruguay: Facundo Pellistri

6. Real Madrid – 13

13 is the number of European Cup / UEFA Champions League title Real Madrid have won so far and that's the number of players that are representing them in Qatar 2022. The current Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema has been ruled out but he was originally included in the side. But even without his representation, a total of 12 players graced the pitch and still find them in the 6th spot. 
Belgium: Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard; Brazil: Éder Militão, Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior; Croatia: Luka Modric; France: Karim Benzema, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni; Germany: Antonio Rüdiger; Spain: Marco Asensio, Dani Carvajal; Uruguay: Fede Valverde

7. Al Hilal – 12
One shocking addition to the list is that of Al Hilal. The Saudi Arabia club is unique in many ways. A total of 12 representations outside Europe's top 5 leagues is an achievement in many ways but whats more interesting is the fact that all the representations are for one country and that's Saudi Arabia. The side that beat Argentina has major representation from this very club.

Saudi Arabia: Saud Abdulhamid, Ali al-Bulaihi, Mohammed al-Breik, Salem al-Dawsari, Nasser al-Dawsari, Salman al-Faraj, Mohamed Kanno, Abdulellah al-Malki, Abdullah Otayf, Mohammed al-Owais, Yasser al-Shahrani, Saleh al-Shehri