Football fans of the 21st century are indeed blessed, the world’s biggest game has been burgeoning every which way. There have been iconic moments aplenty, exhilarating styles of gameplay, shrewd tactics and fiercely polarising rivalries.
Earlier, greatness was compared across generations — Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Van Basten, George Best and so on. Today, the field is thicker than ever with prodigious talent, energy and longevity. Players possess near-robotic consistency in their performances. Sergio Busquets of Spain, Angel Di Maria of Argentina, Hugo Lloris of France, Robert Lewandowski of Poland. Many, far too many others.
The 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar would become the bow-out stage for some of the game’s alltime greats. Here’s a list of those who will feature in the World Cup for the last time but have left a mark on the game forever.
1. Manuel Neuer, 37 Goalkeeper
Captain of the German national team and a winner of the 2014 edition of the World Cup in Brazil, Manuel Neuer has been one of few players known way more for the impact on the beautiful game than any heroic performance and silverware won. Neuer has changed the way goalkeepers are perceived in the modern game. It was he who truly embodied the “Sweeper Keeper” role by actually being an 11th outfield player apart from being the wall that he already was at the post. He has also been composed with the ball at his feet, picking progressive passes and even progressing with the ball. Never mind the German team’s performance in Qatar, to watch the charismatic goalie lead his troops for the final time was an emotional affair.
2. Thomas Muller, 33 Forward
Thomas Muller broke onto the scene along with a band of young promising stars such as Ozil and Toni Kroos in South Africa in 2010 by scoring some electrifying goals for Germany. What followed was glittering success with club and country including the Holy Grail in 2014. The legendary German forward graced the pitch in Qatar before calling it a day on an impressive career for Germany.
3. Luka Modric, 37 Central Midfielder
The magician from Croatia has been nothing but a gift to the world of football; every touch of his is magic! Luca Modric seems to be ageing like fine wine with no signs of decline in INSIGHT As the World Cup progresses, new stars will be born and old ones will fade away. Tauhid Khan says his goodbyes to some of the outgoing greats form, and could give any midfield a run for their money on any given day. Nobody saw him leading Croatia all the way to the finals in 2018 in Russia with a string of masterful displays in the middle of the park. But the maestro is 37 now and in all possibility this will be his last World Cup. The big stage will forever miss this big game player.
4. Gareth Bale, 33 Winger/Forward
The British Isles has had its fair share of footballing heroes, players and managers alike, but the mercurial talent of Bale and his world-beating exploits in front of the goal for Tottenham and Real Madrid has cemented his place as one of the biggest stars of the game in the past decade. His adventures with the Welsh national team have been worth watching over the years. Thanks to Bale, they have been able to punch quite above their weight. Bale’s evolution from a left back at Southampton to becoming the world’s costliest transfer at the time to Real Madrid is quite a football story. Though far from what he was like in his prime, watching him lead the Welsh in this campaign for the final time will be the end of an era.
5. Luis Suarez, 35 Striker
Players are remembered by fans not just for their skills, but also their antics. Suarez has been amongst the crème de la crème of strikers in the past decade, as any Anfield and Camp Nou faithful who still raves about his goal scoring exploits with their team will tell you. His European career has ended but he is still finding the net with ease at Club Nacional in the Uruguayan first division. Suarez has had an illustrious and eventful World Cup career, of which only a few can boast of. Be it the infamy of the handball in front of the goal against Ghana in 2010 or the much reported bite on Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder in 2014, Suarez has been a player to watch throughout the last three editions of the tournament. Qatar 2022, Luis Suarez leading the Uruguayan forward line for the last time is going to be another emotional farewell to a true great of the game.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo, 37 Striker
Portugal might be an exciting team on paper, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Joao Cancelo supporting arguably the best goalscorer the game has seen in its illustrious history, but an underwhelming qualifying campaign for the World Cup proves that the star power does not necessarily translate on the pitch. The bookies are not keen on the Portuguese who have always had the knack to surprise and with Ronaldo in your side, you are always in with a shout. The pace has dipped, the positioning not as sharp, the shot is not as ferocious but as the records show, no one knows better about where the goal is than Ronaldo. An entire generation is still optimistically waiting for a grand display in Qatar by the great man. Unfortunately, this magnificent sight of Ronaldo leading Portugal in the World Cup will be the last as Mother Nature has also taken her toll on the goalscoring machine.
7. Lionel Messi, 35 Forward
This man is the hope of a nation that has seen the likes of Maradona bring glory to them in the yesteryears. Messi is the one who can bring back that cup to Argentina and fulfil his claim of being the greatest of all time. After four failed attempts and a close shave in 2014, what followed were frustration and some desperate attempts to retire. However, he has rejuvenated his international career by winning Copa America last year and he appears to have hit a purple patch of form at the right time heading into Qatar. All eyes are on the Argentine wizard to make it count for the Albiceleste.
