There are only four players who are participating in their fifth World Cup in Qatar 2022: the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, the Argentine Lionel Messi and the Mexicans. Andres Guardado Y Guillermo Ochoa.

From this selected list, Ronaldo and “Memo” Ochoa are 37 years old, Guardado is 36 and Messi is 35.

The number is very high, taking into account that until this year in the entire history of the World Cup they had only reached the threshold of five four men: the German Lothar Matthaus, the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and the Mexicans Antonio Carbajal Y Raphael Marquez.

The other players with multiple World Cup appearances playing in Qatar are Ángel Di María, Héctor Moreno, Hugo Lloris, Sergio Busquets, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Mullerall with four.

Although Messi has said on two occasions that this will surely be his last World Cup, the ten Argentines could still, if he continues to play football, make the squad for the 2026 edition. for the most participations in a World Cup.

young and old

Of the 829 players called up by the 32 teams, 70% have never played in a World Cup (578) and 15.5% (129 players) were born in the 21st century, indicated El País.

“Veterans” like Messi and Ronaldo over the age of 35 account for 4.5 percent of players playing at the World Cup (there are 37 after Karim Benzema’s departure).

The youngest selected in the tournament is Ghana, with an average age of 24.7 years; that of older players, Iran, with an average of 28.9 years. The Argentina national team is on average one of the oldest, with an average of 27.7.