The big day is approaching, the last chance too. Beyond the prestige represented by a victory in the World Cup, there will certainly be another challenge for certain selections involved in this World Cup which begins on November 20. That of offering one of its icons a first star on the national jersey. Players who marked their era and piled up trophies, with the exception of the most coveted of them. And for whom the opportunity should not come again after this 2022 edition. Overview of these legends of the round ball, who are missing the supreme trophy.
Lionel Messi, a return to form and a great reward?
He is one of the greatest players of all time. The one who revolutionized the art of handling the ball and who tormented just about every defense he came across. Nearly 800 career goals, four Champions Leagues, 41 trophies in total but…no World Cup to his credit. “La pulga” has often been unhappy with his selection since he had to wait until the summer of 2021 to win the Copa America, his very first major title with Argentina.
In Qatar, Messi (35) will play his fifth World Cup. Definitely his last. “My last World Cup? Probably so,” he told ESPN in early October. Eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2006 and 2010, finalist in 2014 and stopped in the 8th by the Blues in 2018, the Argentinian will therefore have one last chance to climb on the roof of the world in a month. Sparkling with PSG since the start of the season, the former Barcelona player regains full possession of his means after a very delicate 2021-2022 exercise. And will represent an asset of choice for an Argentine selection which will undoubtedly have a shot in the gulf emirate.
Lionel Messi, during a friendly match against Jamaica on September 27
Andres Kudacki/AFP
Cristiano Ronaldo, the apotheosis in the doldrums?
He too will have his place in the pantheon of this sport. Less successful than his Argentine rival (32 trophies), he still has five Golden Balls and 818 career goals. Revealing his aura within the football world and his status as a dominant player for nearly 20 years. European champion in 2016 with Portugal, his career in the World Cup is much more contrasted. His best result dates back to 2006 and a lost semi-final against… France. Eliminated in the round of 16 in 2010 and 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo even stopped in the group stages during the Brazilian World Cup in 2014.
If the Seleção will land in Qatar with an attractive workforce, the state of form of the main interested party is a concern. This season, CR7 is swimming in the doldrums with his Manchester United club. Disappointing on and off the field, he no longer manages to pull his team up and the Red Devils regularly put on a better face when he is not on the pitch. But despite the cruelty of the report, it would be very dangerous to bury the man with 117 goals in selection so quickly. In the Gulf, he will be keen to offer himself a last last stand and remind the world of football that the weight of the years has not erased his thirst for the title.
Cristiano Ronaldo is in search of world title with Portugal
Cristina Quicler/AFP
Neymar, the key asset of a Brazil in reconquest mode
He shouldn’t be present at the big world rally in 2026 either. “I think it’s my last World Cup. I don’t know if I have the mental strength to continue in football,” he said. in October 2021 in the documentary Neymar Jr and the Line of Kingsavailable on the DAZN streaming platform.
At the time, the Brazilian oscillated between injuries and any benefits in the jersey of PSG. Returning to form this season (11 goals in 13 Ligue 1 games), his physical condition still remains an eternal question mark and it is indeed very likely that the Qatari meeting will be his last. Enough to increase his motivation, especially since the Seleção appears to be a serious candidate for the supreme title. A trophy that she has not lifted for 20 years.
Neymar will be the guide of the Seleção in this Qatari world
Carl De Souza/AFP
Dani Alves, the veteran wants to come full circle
At 39, he will become the oldest Brazilian to play in a World Cup finals. Another record for the one who in 2021 became the most successful player in history with 43 trophies. Emblematic right side of FC Barcelona between 2008 and 2016, passed by Paris Saint-Germain (2017-2019), the native of Juazeiro refuses to hang up his crampons. In Qatar, Dani Alves will however have to content himself with a role of understudy, but the respect he imposes and the good humor he diffuses will represent two significant assets in a group which is aiming for nothing other than final victory. For Dani Alves, it is difficult to dream of a better end.
Dani Alves, the veteran of the Brazilian selection
Douglas Magno/AFP
Karim Benzema, after the personal grail, the supreme title?
He reached in 2022 the firmament of his career. The supreme accomplishment on a personal level. Winner of the last Ballon d’Or, Karim Benzema (35) comes to Qatar in the costume of the best player on the planet. Clothes of light that he intends to put on under the tunic flanked by the rooster.
In the event of a final victory, Karim Benzema would come back from afar. Long criticized for his performance in blue and then banned for six years on extra-sporting business funds, the history of the Lyonnais in the France team has long been chaotic. Recalled to everyone’s surprise by Didier Deschamps to compete in Euro 2020, he was able to convince the most skeptical.
At 35 years old and despite an impeccable lifestyle and a remarkable work ethic, it is difficult to imagine him continuing until 2026. A last chance therefore to lift the most prestigious of trophies and definitively record his reconciliation with the French people.
It is in a costume of the best player in the world that Karim Benzema will fly to Qatar
Frank Fife/AFP