World Cup 2022 kicks off on Sunday, November 20 in Qatar, with the participation of 32 countries competing for the biggest prize in football. Teams such as Germany, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, and the like were nominated as the best teams to win the title.
Since the World Cup is a tournament that takes place every four years, many players do not have the opportunity to play in multiple versions, and there are many factors responsible for choosing a player to participate in the prestigious tournament, where fitness, level, participation constantly, behavior, etc. play a role. It is very important to choose the player.
However, some players defied the odds and represented their country in the tournament five times, and before the 2022 edition, only four players had the honor of appearing in the World Cup on five occasions: Lothar Matthaus (Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Rafael Marquez and Antonio Carvajal (Spain).
Heading to Qatar, four other players will have the opportunity to achieve this achievement in their careers. We monitor them below.
1- Lionel Messi – Argentina
Messi will play in the World Cup for the fifth time in Qatar
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi will make his fifth appearance in a World Cup event after the 35-year-old striker made his FIFA World Cup debut in 2006 in a group stage match against Serbia and Montenegro and unsurprisingly scored and set up a goal in each.
The Argentine star continued to appear in 2010, 2014, and 2018 and came very close to the title of the 2014 edition when Argentina lost the final match against Germany in extra time, and the Argentine played 19 matches in the World Cup, scoring six goals and assisting five.
2- Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal
Ronaldo is playing in the World Cup for the fifth time with Portugal
At the age of 37, Cristiano Ronaldo joins the elite roster of players to take part in five separate World Cup tournaments, when the competition begins in Qatar. The Portuguese icon is seen as one of the best players of all time and has an unparalleled football career.
Ronaldo witnessed elite fitness throughout his life as a professional soccer player in four World Cup tournaments before the 2022 edition in Qatar, where he participated in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 editions with Portugal.
The 37-year-old made his first team debut at the 2006 World Cup in a group-stage match against Angola, which Portugal won 1-0. Since then, the star has represented his country in 2010, 2014, and 2018 editions, making 17 appearances and scoring. Seven goals.
3- Andres Guardado – Mexico
Another Mexican player who will achieve this amazing feat at the 2022 World Cup is midfielder Andres Guardado. The 36-year-old veteran will make his fifth appearance in the quadrennial tournament after being selected for Mexico for the first time in the 2006 edition.
Guardado came off the bench in the round of 16 against Argentina, as Mexico ended up losing 2-1 after extra time, and the veteran has since played in 11 more matches across 2010, 2014, and 2018 editions, scoring one goal and setting up for each and has He played 180 international matches for his country, scoring 28 goals.
4- Guillermo Ochoa – Mexico
Guillermo Ochoa is one of the few players who has maintained consistent performances in the World Cup over the past few years. The Mexican goalkeeper was first selected by Mexico for the 2006 World Cup by then-national team coach Ricardo La Volpe, yet he did not appear once. in the tournament.
He was again selected for the 2010 edition in South Africa, where he once again played as a backup to legendary Mexican goalkeeper Oscar Perez, however, he was an active player in the subsequent 2014 and 2018 tournaments.
The veteran goalkeeper will join an impressive list of eight players who have appeared in five World Cups. The 37-year-old, who has 132 caps, has played eight World Cup matches so far and kept three clean sheets.
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