{"id":1538585,"date":"2022-11-16T11:38:15","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T16:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1538585"},"modified":"2022-12-04T14:39:58","modified_gmt":"2022-12-04T19:39:58","slug":"10-world-class-footballers-playing-their-final-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/10-world-class-footballers-playing-their-final-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"9 World-Class Footballers Playing in Their Final World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/2022-world-cup-previews-everything-you-need-know-get-ready-for-worlds-biggest-soccer-tournament-qatar\/\">2022 World Cup in Qatar<\/a> runs from November 20 to December 18. Between those dates, we will see some stunning goals, thrilling victories, heartbreaking defeats, and probably way more dubious calls than we\u2019d like. We\u2019ll also see some of the biggest names in <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/soccer\/\">soccer<\/a> play in their final World Cup match. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/2tsAv06vAu0\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Jules Rimet Trophy winners like Germany\u2019s Thomas M\u00fcller and Manuel Neuer, and France\u2019s Olivier Giroud and Karim Benzema will likely hang it up after this go-round. As will 2018 runner-up Luka Modri\u0107 of Croatia, a World Cup wild card in Uruguay\u2019s Luis Su\u00e1rez, and a legendary scorer without a World Cup goal in Poland\u2019s Robert Lewandowski.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the biggest storying in Qatar will be the final World Cup matches for two of the greatest ever to play the game. Portugal\u2019s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina\u2019s Lionel Messi are almost assuredly done after this campaign with their national teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that in mind, let\u2019s take a look at these nine living legends playing in their final World Cup in Qatar.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Football legends playing in their final World Cup<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1250\" height=\"703\" src=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Collage-Maker-16-Nov-2022-11.33-AM.jpg?w=925&#038;strip=all&#038;quality=89\" alt=\"Players playing in their final World Cup in 2022 include (L-R) Lionel Messi, Olivier Giroud, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo\" class=\"wp-image-1538590\" \/><figcaption>(L-R) Lionel Messi, Olivier Giroud and Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo | Rich Graessle\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images; Ian MacNicol\/Getty Images; David S. Bustamante\/Soccrates\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lionel-messi-35-argentina\"><strong>Lionel Messi (35), Argentina <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Lionel Messi: &quot;The day I retire, I&#39;m going to play a farewell match, 45 minutes in the Argentina shirt and 45 in Barcelona&#39;s shirt.&quot; \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf7 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/i0KVHzs4V9\">pic.twitter.com\/i0KVHzs4V9<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FrankKhalidUK\/status\/1592810600882900993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 16, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When it\u2019s all said and done, Lionel Messi will likely go down as the greatest professional footballer of all time. What he\u2019s done with Barcelona and continues to do with Paris Saint-Germain is nothing short of incredible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, fans of Brazil\u2019s Pel\u00e9 or Ronaldo or Argentina\u2019s Diego Maradona will point to the fact that these three GOAT candidates all won World Cup gold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Messi got incredibly close in 2014 as Argentina made it to the finals vs. Germany. Unfortunately for the diminutive dribbler, he won the Golden Boot Award as the player of the tournament and actually found the back of the net in the final, only to be called offside. So when German super-sub Mario G\u00f6tze scored in the 113th minute, Messi\u2019s best chance at the trophy went away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In what will likely be the 35-year-old\u2019s last World Cup, Argentina is the <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/world-cup-2022-whos-the-betting-favorite-to-win-the-title\/\">second or third favorite<\/a> to win it all, behind Brazil and, in some sportsbooks, France. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As usual, Messi leads a strong Argentina attack with a thin midfield behind it. The defense and goalkeeper situation is better than usual this year, though, even though the always-good-for-a-blunder Nicol\u00e1s Otamendi will still likely start at center-back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, though, for Lionel Messi to finally win a World Cup, Messi needs an otherworldly Messi performance, and if that happens, watch out, world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cristiano Ronaldo (37), Portugal <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Bruno Fernandes catching up with Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal camp \ud83d\udc40\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf9<br><br>(via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/selecaoportugal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@selecaoportugal<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D1UFlfBlwG\">pic.twitter.com\/D1UFlfBlwG<\/a><\/p>&mdash; ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNFC\/status\/1592434781555400704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 15, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As any international football fan knows, you can\u2019t mention Lionel Messi without uttering the name Cristiano Ronaldo in the same breath. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Portugal legend will not play in North America in 2026 at the age of 41, so this December could be the last time we ever see him in a Portugal jersey. Like his rival, Messi, Ronaldo has as many (or more) of the club goal-scoring and individual accolades that any one player can collect in his career. However, World Cup success has eluded him as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ronaldo\u2019s first World Cup was his most successful. In 2006, Portugal made the semifinals before losing to eventual runners-up France and then to Germany in the third-place match. Since then, Portugal\u2019s World Cups have ended in the Round of 16 (2010), Group Stage (2014), and Round of 16 (2018). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2022 edition of Portugal is exciting, with many of the youngsters who won Euro 2016 with Ronaldo coming into their primes. However, the team\u2019s campaign is already off to a rocky start, with Ronaldo <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/portugal-drama-bruno-fernandes-snubs-cristiano-ronaldo-after-brutal-manchester-united-interview\/\">ripping his club team<\/a>, Manchester United, seemingly to the dismay of his fellow Red Devil and countryman Bruno Fernandes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That makes Cristiano Ronaldo\u2019s final World Cup all the more interesting, though. The team could make a run out of <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/2022-world-cup-previews-portugals-cristiano-ronaldo-makes-his-last-stand-group-h\/\">Group H<\/a> or implode before even reaching the knockouts. It\u2019s right on-brand for the incredible but polarizing star. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Karim Benzema (34) and Olivier Giroud (36), France <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Coman<br>\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Nkunku<br>\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Griezmann<br>\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Dembele<br>\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Giroud<br>\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Mbappe <br>\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Benzema<br><br>\ud83d\udd25 France have 7 ridiculous attacking options for the World Cup! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2LrSyISp3t\">pic.twitter.com\/2LrSyISp3t<\/a><\/p>&mdash; GiveMeSport (@GiveMeSport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GiveMeSport\/status\/1590429632108843013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 9, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After winning the 2018 World Cup, two aging French strikers are back for one last hurrah in Qatar. Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud both have gripping World Cup histories and will go out on their shields this year, defending France\u2019s title and trying to become the first country to repeat since Brazil in the early 1960s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Benzema is one of the biggest redemption stories in football history. The brash young striker started his career with France off well in the lead-up to the 2010 World Cup before off-field issues derailed his career with the national team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ahead of the 2010 World Cup, allegations of Benzema soliciting an underage prostitute kept him off that squad, and his alleged involvement in being part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/karim-benzema-returns-french-national-team-banned-sex-tape-blackmail-scandal\/\">sex-tape blackmail scandal<\/a> involving French teammate Mathieu Valbuena kept him off the 2018 team. The Real Madrid hitman of Armenian descent accused French manager Didier Deschamps during that saga. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite all the controversy, Benzema returned to the national squad for Euro 2020 and is now playing some of his best football. He recently won the prestigious Balon d\u2019Or Award for 2021, meaning he is the defending best footballer in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Karim Benzema watched France from home in 2018, he saw one of his rivals, Olivier Giroud, in his place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The big bearded Frenchman didn\u2019t score a goal in France\u2019s winning campaign and didn\u2019t even register a shot on net (0\/13). However, his presence in the middle helped open space for Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 on the wings, and they led the FFF with four goals apiece. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, Benzema and Giroud \u2014 who is just five goals short of Thierry Henry\u2019s all-time French record \u2014 will go to Qatar as teammates one last time and try to work together so their country can repeat as champions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Manuel Neuer (36) and Thomas M\u00fcller (33), Germany\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"de\" dir=\"ltr\">Official Team of World Cup 2014: Neuer, Lahm, Hummels, LUIZ, Rojo, Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Robben, Rodriguez, Muller, Messi<\/p>&mdash; Kelechi Nkoro(Don Kelenioni) (@K1Says) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/K1Says\/status\/488561080697102336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 14, 2014<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As big as the French losses will be after Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud play in their final World Cup, Die Mannschaft will suffer even bigger losses with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (36) and forward Thomas M\u00fcller playing in their last tournament for Germany.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These two veteran Germans all came in together in the 2010 World Cup, with Neuer assuming the No. 1 keeper role and M\u00fcller winning the Golden Boot Award for the tournament with five goals. The (then) young forward also won Best Young Player of that tournament as Germany reached the semifinals before losing to Spain, finishing third.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 2014 World Cup, the team coalesced and won the tournament, largely on the backs of Neuer and M\u00fcller. The duo made the FIFA All-Star team (along with midfielder Toni Kroos, defender Mats Hummels and midfielder Philip Lahm) and were two of three Germans (along with Kroos to make the FIFA Dream Team, voted on by the fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, Neuer and M\u00fcller will try to atone for 2018 in their final World Cup. Last time around, Die Mannschaft lost to Sweden and South Korea in the Group Stage to come in last place in Group F.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Luis Su\u00e1rez (35), Uruguay <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">11 years ago today, Luis Suarez\u2019s blatant handball prevented Ghana from becoming the first Africa nation to reach a World Cup semifinal.<br><br>After the match, he said: \u201cI made the best save of the tournament.\u201d \ud83e\udd1a<br><br>(via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FIFAWorldCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@FIFAWorldCup<\/a>)<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fMJ5JGIFsy\">pic.twitter.com\/fMJ5JGIFsy<\/a><\/p>&mdash; ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNFC\/status\/1410870827973763072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As Luis Su\u00e1rez prepares to play in his final World Cup for Uruguay, we have to take a step back and truly acknowledge that we are seeing the end of one of the wildest international careers of all time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The former Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid star, who played last season for Nacional in his home country, has 66 goals and 38 assists for Uruguay, with seven goals and four assists coming in his three World Cups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those numbers would likely be higher if not for essentially getting kicked out of the tournament in 2010 and 2014. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 2010 quarterfinals vs. Ghana, Suarez was red-carded after using his hands to stop a sure goal late in stoppage time of a 1-1 match. However, Asamoah Gyan hit the crossbar on the penalty, and Uruguay ultimately won in a shootout. However, without Su\u00e1rez in the semifinal, the team lost to the Netherlands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Four years later, in his team\u2019s final Group Stage match vs. Italy, Su\u00e1rez bit Italian center-back Giorgio Chiellini. It was the third (not a typo) time he\u2019d bitten an opponent, and, even though the referee didn\u2019t kick him out of the match (which Uruguay won to move to the knockouts), FIFA suspended him for nine games, ending his 2014 World Cup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the 2022 tournament, Su\u00e1rez isn\u2019t the only great Uruguayan playing in his final World Cup. Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera (36), defenders Diego God\u00edn (36) and Mart\u00edn C\u00e1ceres (35), and fellow forward Edinson Cavani (35) are all likely done when Uruguay\u2019s 2022 run concludes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Luka Modri\u0107 (37), Croatia <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">One last time \ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf7\ud83e\udd72<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lukamodric10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@lukamodric10<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HNS_CFF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@HNS_CFF<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/on3m9tXWxF\">pic.twitter.com\/on3m9tXWxF<\/a><\/p>&mdash; FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FIFAWorldCup\/status\/1590306409207500801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 9, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At the tender age of 20, Luka Modri\u0107 broke into the Croatian National Team and played in the 2006 World Cup. His team missed the 2010 tournament and didn\u2019t get out of their group with Brazil and Mexico in 2014. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the 2018 edition, Croatia had its best-ever performance. The team beat England on penalties in the semifinals and lost to France in the finals to finish in second place. Modri\u0107 finished the last World Cup with two goals and an assist, but as the driving force behind the Croatia attack, he won the Golden Ball Award as the player of the tournament. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, at 37, Modri\u0107 leads an aging team into his final World Cup. Croatia will need another world-class performance from its superstar to even get out of <a  href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/2022-world-cup-previews-belgium-croatia-draw-deep-group-f\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Group F<\/a>, which includes Belgium, Morocco, and Canada. A return to the finals is quite a longshot for Modri\u0107 and company, but he has carried his country on his shoulders before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Robert Lewandowski (34), Poland <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Poland&#39;s Robert Lewandowski is No. 7 on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stuholden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@StuHolden<\/a>&#39;s list of the Top 50 players at the 2022 FIFA World Cup! <br><br>(Sponsored by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/qatarairways?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@QatarAirways<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/QatarAirways?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#QatarAirways<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/A6npixGTGw\">pic.twitter.com\/A6npixGTGw<\/a><\/p>&mdash; FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FOXSoccer\/status\/1591874419063853056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 13, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/usmnt-ted-lasso-delivers-inspirational-message-players-ahead-world-cup\/\"><strong>Ted Lasso Delivers Inspirational Messages USMNT to Players Ahead of World Cup<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the greatest goal-scorers of his generation (or any generation), Poland\u2019s Robert Lewandowski has the 11th-most goals (563) in professional football history but didn\u2019t record a goal in his one World Cup appearance in 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not that \u201cLewanGOALski\u201d hasn\u2019t scored for his national team. He is the most capped player in Poland history (134) and leads his country in goals (76) by a wide margin. However, his team only qualified for the big tourney once in his career, and in 2018, Poland managed just two goals total in losses to Senegal and Colombia and a win vs. Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Playing in his final World Cup, the Barcelona striker has a solid squad, but going up against Argentina, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia in <a  href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/2022-world-cup-previews-lionel-messi-argentina-and-everyone-else-group-c\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Group C<\/a> will be no easy task. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo lead a group of 10 legendary players likely appearing in their final World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":1538590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5160],"tags":[8633],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v22.9) - 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