The main answer about what to expect from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s likely final appearances at the 2026 World Cup is a relentless search for statistics that redefine the history of the sport. Officially called up by Argentina and Portugal for the tournament that starts on June 11, the two attackers are preparing to compete in the competition for sixth time in career. While the Argentine number 10 pursues the position of greatest goalscorer of all timethe Portuguese captain tries to become the oldest player to lift the cup of FIFA.
The veteran trio’s sixth World Cup
Entering the field in the current edition of the tournament, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, means breaking a longevity barrier that has persisted since the last century. Since their debuts in Germany in 2006, the two stars have remained at the top of the sport for two uninterrupted decades.
They will not be alone in this feat. Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was also called up for his sixth edition. The trio leaves behind legendary names who stopped in their fifth participation, such as the German Lothar Matthäus, the Italian Gianluigi Buffon and the Mexicans Antonio Carbajal, Rafa Márquez and Andrés Guardado. This physical durability goes against the logic of modern football, marked by extreme wear and bloated calendars.
What’s missing for Lionel Messi in the tournament
With the world title won in Qatar in 2022, the Inter Miami star enters the field without the burden of a lack of trophies. Your main target now is the top of historical artillery. With 13 goals scored in his five previous appearances, he needs just three more balls in the net to equal the all-time record held by German Miroslav Klose.
In addition to the goals, the Argentine already holds the record for most games played in the history of the tournament. With the new format of the competition, which now has 48 teams and one extra knockout phaseany advance by Argentina in the championship will allow it to expand this mark to a number practically unattainable in the coming decades.
The greatest scorers in history
- Miroslav Klose (Germany): 16 goals
- Ronaldo (Brazil): 15 goals
- Gerd Müller (Germany): 14 goals
- Lionel Messi (Argentina): 13 goals
- Just Fontaine (France): 13 goals
Players with the most matches
- Lionel Messi (Argentina): 26 games
- Lothar Matthäus (Germany): 25 games
- Miroslav Klose (Germany): 24 games
- Paolo Maldini (Italy): 23 games
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 22 games
Cristiano Ronaldo’s physical and historical challenge
At 41 years of age, the Al-Nassr striker arrives at the tournament with a very clear collective and individual objective. He is looking for an unprecedented trophy for Portugal, but he is also racing against the biological clock. If the European team wins the grand final scheduled for July 19th, he will break the record for the oldest champion in history.
The Portuguese also has an exclusive brand: he is the only athlete to score goals in five editions different from the tournament. Balancing the nets on North American pitches means extending this feat to six editions. The main taboo he tries to break, however, is that of never having scored a goal in tournament knockout stagesas all of his previous goals came in the group stage.
The oldest champions in history
- Dino Zoff (Italy): 40 years and 133 days (1982)
- Nilton Santos (Brazil): 37 years and 32 days (1962)
- Miroslav Klose (Germany): 36 years and 34 days (2014)
The record for editions with goals scored
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 5 editions (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
- Lionel Messi (Argentina): 4 editions (2006, 2014, 2018, 2022)
- Pele (Brazil): 4 editions (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970)
- Uwe Seeler (Germany): 4 editions (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970)
- Miroslav Klose (Germany): 4 editions (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
The presence of these legends in this edition of the tournament ends the most dominant cycle in history of sport. The statistics they can record in the coming weeks should remain at the top of the world football almanac for generations.
