With the FIFA World Cup coming up right around the corner, many fans are excited as their favourite football icons arrive in Qatar. Many fans have witnessed these players blossom into the icons that they are today, from the skills they possess to the impact they have made.
In this list, the ILoveQatar.net (ILQ) team has put up some of the best football players that might be playing their last FIFA World Cup this November.
Note: This list doesn’t guarantee nor announce the players’ retirement. It does not claim as well the certainty of these players’ career paths. The names listed below are based on the list released by mainly VBET News and Goal, supplemented with research from Transfermarkt, and EuroSport.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most well-known football players in the world. With his incredible goal scores, the Portuguese player has easily become a crowd favourite making his climb to fame an incredible feat. Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal in 2003 at 18 and is the nation's all-time international top goal scorer.
This year's FIFA will be Cristiano Ronaldo's 5th appearance in the World Cup.
Lionel Messi, also known as Leo Messi, is the Argentine team's captain and the forward for Paris Saint-Germain. Messi is a name you will inevitably hear in football: the number of awards he has won, from being the most goal-scored Argentine player to winning an Olympic Gold Medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Messi has shown great talent from his youth.
This year's FIFA will be Leo Messi's 5th appearance in the FIFA World Cup.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, better known as Neymar or Neymar Jr has shown exemplary skills since his youth stage for Brazil. Neymar has had several achievements, including a silver medal in men's football at the 2012 Summer Olympics and winning the Golden Ball at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Neymar is ranked as Forbes' fourth-highest paid athlete for 2022.
Neymar has also mentioned that this year's FIFA World Cup might be his last in his documentary "Neymar Jr and The Line of Kings".
Sergio Ramos is one of Spain's pride and joy as he holds the record of most international victories for Spain with 131 matches won. In 2013, Ramos became the nation's youngest player, reaching 100 caps or international game appearances.
Spain won the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and Ramos was named in the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in the same year.
Manuel Neuer may block all the goals he can, but he can't block the fans' love for him. Dubbed the "sweeper-keeper", Germany's captain Manuel Neuer was named the best goalkeeper of the decade from 2011 to 2020 by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Neuer won the tournament with Germany and the Golden Glove award for being the best goalkeeper.
Robert Lewandowski, who plays as a striker for La Liga club Barcelona and the Poland national team, is best recognized for his techniques and skills as a football player. In 2015, Lewandowski scored five goals in less than nine minutes in a match, the fastest by any player in Bundesliga history and any major European football league. He was then awarded four Guinness World Records due to this achievement.
Karim Benzema is a known great team player. Winning his teams a ton of awards throughout his years, Benzema also gained infamy with the outstanding trio alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. The French player is Real Madrid's joint-second highest all-time top goalscorer.
Recognized as one of the best defenders of his generation, Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira or Pepe plays as a centre-back for Porto and the Portugal national team. Pepe has played in three FIFA World Cups. This year will be his fourth appearance in the tournament.
Currently a free agent, Luis Suárez is an Uruguayan football player best known as a great striker with clean ball passing and handling. Aside from Messi and Ronaldo, Luis Suárez is the only football player to have won the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe. He has won the European Golden Shoe twice.
Suárez was also part of the notorious MSN, together with Messi and Neymar.
As captain of the Brazilian national football team and centre-back for Chelsea's Premier League club, Thiago Silva is a renowned defender. Silva has had his fair share of awards and achievements as he bagged the silver and bronze medals at the 2012 and 2008 Olympics, respectively.
In 2012, Thiago Silva made history as he became the most expensive defender at the time when he transferred to Paris Saint-Germain. As per trasnfermarkt.com, Silva's transfer in 2012 cost approximately €42 million.
Dubbed one of the greatest Croatian footballers ever, Luka Modric is best known to be one of the greatest midfielders of all time, able to play as a central, attacking, and defensive midfielder. Luka Modric has also received the Golden Foot and the Best FIFA Men's Player and Ballon d'Or awards, being the only football player next to Messi and Ronaldo to win these awards in over a decade.
This FIFA World Cup will be Luka Modric's fourth World Cup tournament. In 2018, Modric lead the Croatian team to the finals against France, where he won the Golden Ball award for being the best player in the tournament.
Do you see your favourites on the list? Who else do you think would be playing their last FIFA World Cup? Let us know in the comments below! Do share this article- it keeps us going!
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