The World Cup is the ultimate opportunity for many to add just a little more shine to their careers. In just over a week, the next edition will kick off, in Qatar. Although we will not see many top players like Haaland and Salah shine at this edition, there are many players who will be in action as usual. For the players below it will most likely be the last time. Due to their age, they will no longer be in action in 2026, when the World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. These are the best players for whom it's now or never!
Seven Ballons d'Or, four-time Champions Leagues and eleven national leaguetitles are just part of Messi's bulging trophy cabinet. The 1.69-meter striker is considered by many to be the best football player to ever walk this planet. Only one award is missing for the current Paris Saint-Germain player. In 2014 he was very close, but never before did Messi win the World Cup with Argentina, which for years has been the biggest blemish on his impressive career. In a week's time, he will get another chance with his country. This one will most likely be his last. Messi will turn 39 at the next World Cup in 2026, and will probably be an international by then. But with him, you never know. No one would be surprised if he is included in the squad again in four years, his qualities will not be in question.
Messi's eternal rival, with an equally impressive trophy cabinet. Six Ballons d'Or, all-time top scorer in the Champions League and a European Championship winner. For Ronaldo, a World Cup title would be the culmination of a great career. The 37-year-old Portuguese will certainly not be around in 2026, the years are now starting to add up. Ronaldo is no longer a guaranteed starter at Manchester United, but with Portugal he is still undisputed in the starting lineup. The captain will always earn a spot in the squad because of his status, but given that Ronaldo is already no longer the player that he was a few years ago, a 41-year-old Ronaldo certainly can no longer compete in top international football.
At the last World Cup Modric was still the best player, and he guided Croatia to silver. This World Cup, the midfielder is 37, and although, like Wine, he seems to be getting better with age, it is highly likely that this will be his last World Cup. With dark horse Croatia, can Modric rise once again and pull off an even bigger stunt than he did in 2018?
Luis Suarez will forevere have a place in the history of football, especially the World Cup. Even in 2070, they will still replay the footage of the quarterfinal against Ghana in 2010, when the African nation looked to be scoring the winning goal in the last minute. The goalkeeper was already beaten, but striker Suarez was on the goal line and knocked the ball out of the goal with his hand. He got a red card and Ghana a penalty, from which Gyan hit the crossbar. Uruguay went through after penalties and Suarez became a national hero. Now the striker is not even playing in a top European league, he is playing in his home country. In Qatar, he can guide his country to victories on the highest stage for the last time.
If Gareth Bale had not been so terribly good, instead of traveling to Qatar he would be enjoying the golf course. Still only 33, he is young enough for many a footballer to experience one more World Cup. He was already supposed to retire as an international, but he first shot his country to its first World Cup in 64 years, then postponed that farewell for a few months. Bale is the absolute valet of Wales, and he will certainly enjoy his last trick at the highest level.
The man of the yellow cards. The 37-year-old defender has the most cards in La Liga, the Champions League and the national team. In fact, he has the most yellow cards of any player in a top European league ever. Remarkably, he has not received a single red card in 180 international matches. He is also ninth on Spain's top scorer list. Besides cards, Ramos likes to collect trophies. With a World Cup title, two European Championships and four Champions Leagues won, Ramos is one of the best defenders of his generation. 12 years after his first World Cup final, can he win the title again at his last World Cup?
38-years old and still in the starting lineup at a top club like Chelsea. Silva seems to get better with age, and may be gearing up for his fourth World Cup. He will be 42 in 2026, and given the surplus of talent Brazil has been producing for years, he is not going to be there. Brazil haven't won the tournament since 2002. Thiago Silva was 18 then, playing at the third level in his homeland. He was scouted as a midfielder, made his debut in professional football at Dinamo Moscow in Russia as a defender and spent six months in the hospital with tuberculosis, but fought back each time. His fighting spirit may well be more important than the attacking talent Brazil have if they are to win the world title. In any case, they are favourites in Qatar.
We honestly thought Dani Alves had already quit, but like a jack-in-the-box, he reappears somewhere every so often. The right back is 39 and plays in Mexico, but may still be gearing up for the 2022 World Cup. He became a professional football player in 2001 and two years later he was already playing in the starting lineup in La Liga, yet Dani Alves only has two World Cups to his name. In 2006, he was not yet an international; in 2018, he injured his cruciate ligament. Although his place in the squad comes as a big surprise this time too, a call-up to the 2026 World Cup is a pipe dream.
You probably expected a bigger player here, but we prefer Ochoa. So once every four years, this Mexican goalkeeper turns into something of a prime Lev Yashin, the only goalkeeper to ever win the Ballon d'Or. In 2014 he stopped just about everything the Netherlands shot at him in the round of 16, and in 2018 he made 25 saves in just four games. As a goalkeeper you can last a long time, and if we were Mexico's national coach we would call on him until he is 55, but as a 37-year-old who hasn't featured in a top European league for eight seasons it would be very unlikely if he is still defending Mexico's goal in 2026.
Second on the list of most international games, fourth on the top scorer list and captain. Bryan Ruiz is a player who has done little in international football, but is one of the best players his country has ever produced. Keylor Navas is still a bit better, but since he is a goalkeeper for Costa Rica and has no competition, he can last a long time and he could still be around in 2026. Not so for Ruiz. As a 37-year-old striker, the years are going to count and unsurprisingly he has announced his retirement for after the world cup. In international football, he waves goodbye anonymously. In Enschede, no one will ever be able to forget him, as he pretty much single-handedly helped FC Twente to its first ever league title in 2010.
*N.B. Players like Robert Lewandowski, Neymar, Kevin de Bruyne, and Manuel Neuer are not included in this list because, despite their age, they are likely to be there in 2026 should their country qualify. This list consists of players who are 99% certain to be out.
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