The countdown to the is on! Every day forward of the match’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports activities will spotlight an perception or second that showcases simply how grand the world’s greatest sporting spectacle has develop into — even past the expanded discipline of this yr’s international occasion.
Because the World Cup returns each 4 years, it seems like . However greater than that, there are all the time a few acquainted faces — the gamers who’ve performed in additional World Cup video games than anybody else.
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The listing of gamers with probably the most match video games comes with a number of caveats — primarily, the format adjustments over the previous few many years resulting in a special variety of video games performed within the knockout spherical. However the major motive to rack up World Cup video games is longevity and success: to attend a number of World Cups, and to guide your crew far on the match.
Listed here are the 5 gamers with probably the most particular person World Cup caps below their belt:
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 26 World Cup matches (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
If we’re speaking about longevity and success, it’s no shock then that Lionel Messi is on the very prime of that listing. Messi, who made his World Cup debut for Argentina in 2006 as a teen, has been the face of worldwide soccer partly due to his showings on the match. That excellence led all the best way as much as 2022, when Messi led Argentina to its first World Cup championship since 1986 and took dwelling the Golden Ball because the match’s finest participant.
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In March, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni mentioned that Messi for his sixth World Cup — which means that Messi may proceed widening the hole on the prime of the listing.
2. Lothar Matthaüs — 25 World Cup matches (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998)
Matthaüs, the previous captain of the Germany nationwide crew, is considered one of few gamers to compete in 5 World Cups. He made his debut as a 21-year-old midfielder for Germany (then West Germany) on the 1982 World Cup in Spain. In 1990, Matthaüs helped lead Germany to its third title. That yr, he scored 4 objectives within the match, three of them penalty kicks.
Matthaüs performed his ultimate match video games in 1998 after being named as a shock damage substitute on the German roster. He performed in 4 video games that yr, pulling him to the highest of the appearances listing, the place he sat alone for greater than a decade.
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(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports activities)3. Miroslav Klose (Germany) — 25 World Cup matches (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
Klose, a German striker, made his worldwide debut shortly earlier than the 2002 World Cup; he then went on to begin in seven video games and rating 5 objectives within the match. 4 years later, he did the identical factor once more: seven begins and 5 objectives in 2006.
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With ten extra appearances throughout each 2010 and 2014, Klose joined Matthaüs with 25 all-time World Cup caps, reaching the feat in solely 4 tournaments. Germany made the semifinals in all 4 of the years that Klose performed, but it surely was in his ultimate match, 2014, that the Germans took dwelling their fourth World Cup title.
4. Paolo Maldini (Italy) — 23 World Cup matches (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002)
Maldini was a mainstay of the Italian crew all through the ‘90s and early 2000s as a beginning heart again and longtime captain. Because of this, the defender put up a big variety of minutes in Italy’s World Cup appearances in that span.
An Italian third place end in 1990 — on dwelling soil, as nicely — and a second place end in 1994 helped push Maldini over the sting, with seven video games in every of these tournaments, adopted by a visit to the 1998 quarterfinals and a loss within the 2002 Spherical of 16. Maldini performed 100% of the minutes throughout these 23 video games, because the captain made an indelible affect on the Italian again line.
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5. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) — 22 World Cup matches (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
Sorry Ronaldo, that is one stat the place Messi has you firmly beat — for now. Ronaldo made his debut in the identical yr as Messi, and can also be a member of the coveted five-World Cup membership. However Ronaldo hasn’t pulled Portugal previous a fourth-place end throughout these 5 tournaments, chopping down on the variety of complete video games performed. Plus, Ronaldo was within the 2022 World Cup after supervisor Fernando Santos expressed his discontent with Ronaldo’s perspective to being subbed off within the group stage.
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Ronaldo is at present that saved him out of Portugal’s March friendlies. However with Portugal set to headline Group Ok, the captain will hopefully get an opportunity so as to add to his match complete.