As of December 21, 2024, another year is about to come to an end, and we are on the brink of entering 2025. Fans are well aware that in a little over a year, in 2026, football will be in full swing with the arrival of the World Cup! At that time, will those once top-tier stars in the football world, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar, be able to surpass themselves and embark on the journey of the World Cup once again?
So far, the record for the most World Cup appearances is five times, held by Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and former German greats such as Lothar Matthäus and Gianluigi Buffon. If Ronaldo and Messi can participate in the 2026 North American World Cup, they will jointly write a new history: becoming players who have participated in six World Cups.
Born in 1985, Ronaldo, Messi in 1987, and Neymar in 1992, these three are all king-level or quasi-king-level figures in the football world! They have all reached their own peaks, although they are now not young and are in the later stages of their careers, they are still working hard.
At the peak of their careers, Ronaldo's market value was as high as 120 million euros, Messi's market value reached 180 million euros, and Neymar's market value was also 120 million euros. According to the latest data from Transfermarkt, at present, the 39-year-old Ronaldo's market value is 12 million euros, the 37-year-old Messi's market value is 20 million euros, and the 26-year-old Neymar's market value is 15 million euros.
Born in 1987, Messi has achieved all the glorious achievements of his personal career. This star from Rosario, Argentina, set foot on the European continent in 2000 and succeeded there. The Barcelona youth training allowed his football talent to be unleashed, and he became the best forward in the world in the Barcelona team. In terms of clubs, Messi achieved great success at Barcelona, performed slightly less impressively at Paris Saint-Germain, and is still in good form in the MLS today.
In the field of the national team, in 2008, Messi won the Olympic gold medal. However, in the following days, he repeatedly finished as runner-up in the World Cup and Copa America, which made him very sad. In 2016, Messi once expressed his intention to retire from the national team, but later he returned and even won the Copa America and World Cup trophies one after another. The 2026 North American World Cup has become Messi's new goal, when Messi will be 39 years old!
Born in 1985, Ronaldo's personal career is almost perfect, yet slightly flawed. In the club field, Ronaldo has won all the championships he could reach: starting from Sporting Lisbon, taking off at Manchester United, forging brilliance at Real Madrid, and also performing commendably at Juventus and back at Manchester United, still fierce and extraordinary in the Saudi league today.
In the field of the national team, in 2016, Ronaldo won the European Championship. However, in the World Cup arena, Ronaldo has experienced five campaigns but has never reached the final. The current Portuguese team is rich in talent and strong in strength. In 2026, the then 41-year-old Ronaldo must be eagerly looking forward to making another desperate attempt, launching a final sprint!
Born in 1992, Neymar, hailed as the successor of Pelé, is gifted but plagued by injuries. In the club field, he started to stand out from Santos, in 2013, he joined Barcelona for 88 million euros, and four years later, he transferred to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record transfer fee of 220 million euros. In 2023, he joined Saudi Arabia for 90 million euros, unfortunately only playing 7 games.
On the national stage, Neymar has given his all but failed to win top honors. Although Neymar has passed his peak moment, he still longs to wear the national team uniform again and embark on the journey of the World Cup. If he can roughly return to his best form, Neymar is expected to appear in the 2026 World Cup.