The only four players in activity who were elected best in the world by Fifa should compete in the World Cup for the last time in 2022. If the tournament itself did not already have enough sporting attractions, it will also have the farewell of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Robert Lewandowski.
Since 2007, when Kaká won the FIFA best of the season award, the trophy has been dominated by this quartet. Messi, 35, won in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019. Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, was chosen in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. Following Croatia’s runner-up in Russia, Modric, 37, was the best in 2018. Lewandowski, elected in 2020 and 2021.
The same could be said for Benzema, 34, this year’s favourite, but he will miss the France squad with a thigh injury.
The first of them to enter the field will be Messi. This Tuesday (22), Argentina faces Saudi Arabia.
“I’m counting down the days to the Worlds. There’s a bit of anxiety and nervousness at the same time. It’s the last one. I can’t wait for it to arrive, and, on the other hand, there’s the fear of wanting everything to go well”, said the Argentine star player last month, before the departure of the delegation to Qatar.
He and Cristiano Ronaldo competed in the tournament for the first time in 2006. It was the best campaign for the Portuguese player, who, that year, reached the semifinals. Messi came close to lifting the trophy in 2014 in Brazil. Argentina was defeated by Germany in the final.
Ronaldo did not announce that this is his last World Cup, but he said that he will retire from the national team in case of a title. Earlier, he had stated that he would still play at Euro 2024.
The Portuguese will be 41 years old when the 2026 competition begins, to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. In recent seasons, he has had a drop in performance and is not even a starter for Manchester United, in England. He is expected to leave the club in January.
The biggest reference in Polish football, Lewandowski said he prepared to go to the Middle East with the thought that it would be his last World Cup. But he left open the possibility of, who knows, rethinking the matter.
“If I realize that I can play [em alto nÃvel] for another four years….”, left it hanging.
For others, it’s a much easier decision.
“I am aware that I am at an age where this has to be my last international competition,” Luka Modric acknowledged. When the next World Cup approaches, the point guard will be 41 years old, like Ronaldo. Especially in the role he plays, in midfield, it’s difficult to keep up with the level he reached with Real Madrid and Croatia.
They are not the only ones. Players who won important titles in European football, Champions League champions and also World Cup winners must say goodbye to the World Cup this year.
Manuel Neuer plays in a position where players can play until an older age. But the captain of Germany will be 40 years old in 2026. Striker LuÃs Suárez, now 35, is no longer the same scorer of the previous three World Cups. Brazilian defender Thiago Silva, 38, will have the last chance to win the most important trophy in football.
There are other world football stars who have signaled their goodbyes, but the statements may not be seen as final because of their age.
“I think 2022 is my last World Cup,” Neymar considered last year.
It was a strange statement made by the 30-year-old striker. But he wasn’t the only one to do this. Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, 31, took the same path.
“I’m 31, and the demands of football are increasing. I don’t know how I’ll be in four years”, he admitted.
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