Gianluigi Buffon may have surpassed himself to it, even though he only participated in four World Cups as a player after being left off the team in 1998.

However, after only three footballers participated in five World Cups in the first 90 years of the competition, there may be three in the next three days. One such player is Andres Guardado, who serves as a reminder never to undervalue Mexico's ability to send tenacious perennials to numerous World Cups. The other two, who are inevitably divided against one another in this team sport's longest-running individual competition, are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. These two are forever twinned in the public imagination.

             In the 2006 World Cup, they both played and scored their first goals. And while it is not out of the question that they could return in 2026 - each has made a career out of being the exception to the rule - Messi has stated that this will "definitely" be his final World Cup. While Ronaldo may need to be dragged sobbing off the platform and later cry to Piers Morgan about being betrayed, he has previously revoked his international retirement. He has stated his desire to compete in Euro 2024, but even he may think the World Cup in two years, when he would be 41, is too far away.

There is the opportunity to create the ideal farewell for one person, at least. Most likely for Messi, given that Argentina is considered one of the favorites. Even though it would seem like the pinnacle of his career, he could surpass Matthaus' record of 25 World Cup appearances in the championship game (on the other end of the spectrum, Carbajal's record of participating in five World Cups and exiting them all in the group stages may stand for decades longer).

Despite the fact that Messi and Ronaldo have a history of overshadowing everyone else, many players in their 30s will be playing in their final World Cup. This is the last opportunity on this for many others who have contributed to the formation of a generation. Gareth Bale as well.

           Although it's unlikely that anyone would leave in quite the same manner as Zinedine Zidane, who was dismissed from the World Cup final after headbutting Marco Materazzi, some people's displeasure will follow them through the waiting area. While some are preventing it, others are already in collapse. Despite not actually winning the World Cup, the majority have left their mark on it.

Messi was the recipient of the Golden Ball in 2014, while Javier Mascherano was undoubtedly Argentina's best player. The tournament's outstanding player was Luka Modric. The maestro for Real Madrid is another 2006 veteran, but his record of World Cup appearances is broken by Croatia's inability to qualify for the 2010 tournament. Although the quintuple Champions League champion has stated that this will be his final international competition, his passage can seem eternal.

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Despite being six years younger than him, Kevin De Bruyne has acknowledged there is no certainty he will be available in 2026. Since Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Dries Mertens, Axel Witsel, and even Eden Hazard are older than De Bruyne, many members of Belgium's golden age are undoubtedly unlikely to return.

They're all younger than Pepe, too. Some people might miss his cartoonish style of malevolence, but Ronaldo is not the oldest player for Portugal thanks to the defence. Pepe is not the only player with a murky past who is leaving the World Cup if his headbutt on Thomas Muller in 2014 feels like the defining moment of his World Cup adventures.

When you think of Luis Suarez on the international stage, you probably remember his spontaneous goalkeeping showcase against Ghana in 2010. However, due to the red card he received, he was unable to play in Uruguay's lone semi-final since 1970, and his 2014 World Cup was remembered for his chewing of Giorgio Chiellini. This should mark the end of an era for La Celeste's two all-time leading scorers, Suarez and Edinson Cavani, as well as their most-capped player, Diego Godin.

Neither of the South American group is the oldest; that distinction belongs to Dani Alves, 39, who also holds the record for the player with the most official titles in football history. The major tournament that has eluded him and Thiago Silva, who is a year younger than Alves and, unlike him, is a sure starter, is the World Cup. Each has an added motive given that Silva was banned during Germany's 7-1 disgrace in 2014 and Alves was an unutilized substitute. At least they are old enough to remember Brazil's victory in 2002, unlike a few of their colleagues.

              On this stage, though, there are those who have unfinished business and a single opportunity to do it. 2014 saw Angel Di Maria excel, but he was wounded in the quarterfinal and lost the chance to make a difference after that. Although Robert Lewandowski has 634 goals to his name for both clubs and his country, none have come during a World Cup. Karim Benzema was absent for France's triumph in 2018 because of his exile abroad.

The new Ballon d'Or winner will compete in a competition against his predecessors from the previous 14 years, as well as Lewandowski, who would have likely won in 2020 if the honor had been granted. A change in the prominence of the club game and, possibly, a degradation of international football can be seen in the fact that Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 was the last player to win both the World Cup and the highest individual award.

There will be some difficult farewells because Ronaldo, Messi, Modric, Lewandowski, and Benzema are all vying for what feels like the most prestigious award in what may be their final competition. They might not be for a select few people. Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud, Manuel Neuer and Muller, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, and the 2018 champions may be playing their final game. Each will leave with a distinction that some of the greats of his generation were not given: the World Cup.

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