Ronaldo, Messi and the stars playing their last World Cup

FT Desk

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:56 CDT
• 4 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are likely taking part in their last World Cup in Qatar this winter. Which other stars of world football will have hung up their boots by the time the United 2026 tournament comes around?

Ronaldo will be 41 when the 2026 edition, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, rolls around that summer, and he said as recently as his Piers Morgan interview last week that he plans to call it a day at 40.

At 37, Ronaldo isn't even the oldest player in the Portugal squad, with his long-time Real Madrid teammate and current Porto centre-back Pepe two years his senior.

READ: If you think Ronaldo is better than Messi, it’s time to watch another sport

Messi is hoping to fire Argentina to glory having won the Copa America last year, and finally pull alongside Diego Maradona in his country's footballing pantheon, but at 35 this is surely also his last hurrah. International teammates Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi, both 34, are in a similar boat.

If Ronaldo and Messi are the greatest players of their generation, if not all time, then Manuel Neuer has been the best goalkeeper throughout their heydays. The Bayern Munich and Germany captain will be 40 at the next World Cup and might sneak in given his position. Thomas Muller (currently 33) and Ilkay Gundogan (32) are unlikely to, though.

National heroes

Talismans from other less fancied nations are also reaching the end, with Croatia's Luka Modric, Poland's Robert Lewandowski and Wales' Gareth Bale and now 37, 34 and 33 respectively. Other members of Wales' golden generation like Aaron Ramsey (31) and Joe Allen (32) might also have bowed out by 2026.

Favourites Brazil have two veterans in their squad, meanwhile, with the 39-year-old Dani Alves and 38-year-old Thiago Silva, who will have their international swansong in Qatar.

READ: Tchouameni IN, Camavinga OUT: How will France line up at the 2022 World Cup?

World champions France have a 36-year-old striker in Olivier Giroud and 35-year-old goalkeeper in Hugo Lloris, whose understudy Steve Mandanda is 37. Antoine Griezmann, at 31, will be pushing it to make the United 26 World Cup.

Spain, another favourite, will bid farewell to a generation of players. Gerard Pique has already retired, and his veteran former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets (34) and Jordi Alba (33) will likely have retired by then, as will Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta (33).

England have three players who are 32 now, 36 in four years' time, in Kyle Walker, Jordan Henderson and Kieran Trippier; Premier League centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Kalidou Kouliably will both be 35 for the Netherlands and Senegal respectively.

Other ageing players include Denmark mainstays Kasper Schmeichel (36) and Simon Kjaer (33); Modric's teammates from the 2018 final Ivan Perisic (33), Domagoj Vida (33) and Dejan Lovren (33), members of Belgium's own golden generation like Eden Hazard (31), Jan Vertonghen and Dries Mertens (both 35), and Uruguay's star strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani (also both 35).