The 2022 World Cup is set to begin in only three days, and four players have the chance to match a big record with their very first appearance, or place in the matchday squad.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mexico’s Andres Guardado and ‘Memo’ Ochoa will play their fifth World Cup this year, which puts them among icons such as Antonio Carbajal, Gianluigi Buffon, Rafa Marquez and Lothar Matthaus.
World Cup 2022: These players have made it to their fifth edition
Sergio Ramos was also expected to join the list in his fifth edition, but was left out by Luis Enrique this year despite being fit and available.
Gianluigi Buffon could have made a record all for himself had Italy qualified for the 2018 Russia edition. He could have been the only player with six World Cup appearances, attributed to his longevity and his status as one of the best of all-time.
However, Italy’s failure to qualify in two successive editions has resulted in the icon missing out on a great record.
Mexico have failed to make it out of their group in every edition that Ochoa and Guardado have played in. The latter now captains his country in a group consisting of Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Poland. As a result, they may finally be able to move past the first few games of the tournament to the knockout rounds.
