Bilel Mohsni last night opened his heart on his controversial World Cup snub – and claimed he was robbed of his boyhood dream.

The former Rangers and Dundee United defender was left out of Tunisia’s final 23-man squad for the showpiece event which gets underway in Russia tomorrow after coming within touching distance of fulfilling his lifelong burning ambition.

Mohsni, 30, had dreamt of facing England, Belgium and Panama having got his career back on track in style with some polished performances for Dundee United towards the end of last season, only for national coach Nabil Maaloul to wreck his hopes.

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Mohsni was in Tunisia’s preliminary 29-man squad before Maaloul whittled it down to 23 last week to leave the Parish-born centre-back devastated as the North African outfit gear up for their first World Cup in 12 years.

And the 6ft 3in stopper insists he was an innocent victim of some strange decision-making as even his fellow colleagues couldn’t believe his omission.

Mohsni, who received a seven-match SFA ban while with Rangers for kicking and punching Motherwell’s Lee Erwin in the 2015 Premiership Play-off final at Fir Park, said: “It was my dream to be at the World Cup.

“But there was loads of stuff going on which I could see. So I just knew I wasn’t going to make it.

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“It had nothing to do with football. I am the best defender in Tunisia – for sure.

“I played 14 games in two months for Dundee United but the coach said I wasn’t ready.

“Yet, there was one guy picked who only played one first-team game in a whole year and still got picked. That is injustice.

“Tell me – who is match-fit or not? Someone who has played a lot of competitive matches recently, or someone else whose just played once? 

“When I arrived at the international camp, I was full of confidence and even scoring goals.

“After each training session with the national side, we played 11 versus 11 and I won most of those games. All of the players there knew I was the best defender there.

“They obviously couldn’t speak out but knew I should have been in the 23-man squad at least.”