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The 2022 FIFA World Cup will begin on 20 November in Qatar with 32 nations competing for the biggest prize in football. Teams such as Germany, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Portugal and the likes have been earmarked as favorites to take the trophy home.
With the FIFA World Cup being a quadrennial tournament, not many players have the opportunity to take play in multiple editions. Many factors are responsible for a player's selection for the prestigious tournament. Fitness, form, availability, behavior, etc., play a big part in a player's selection. However, some players have defied the odds and represented their nations in the tournament a momentous five times.
Prior to the 2022 edition, only four players have been privileged to appear at the FIFA World Cup on five occasions. They are Lothar Matthaus (Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Rafael Marquez and Antonio Carbajal (Spain).
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Heading into Qatar, four more players will have the opportunity to achieve this milestone in their glittering careers. As such, this article will take a look at these four players.
#4 Guillermo Ochoa - Mexico
Guillermo Ochoa is one of the few players who have maintained consistent performances at the FIFA World Cup over the last few years. The Mexican shot-stopper was first selected by Mexico for the 2006 World Cup by then national team coach Ricardo La Volpe. However, he didn't make a single appearance at the tournament.
He was once again selected for the 2010 edition in South Africa, where he yet again played as a back-up to Mexican legendary shot-stopper Óscar Pérez. However, he was an active player in the subsequent 2014 and 2018 tournaments.
"Memo" will join an illustrious list of eight players who will have played in five FIFA World Cups. The 37-year-old 132-capped veteran has played a total of eight World Cup matches till date and kept three clean sheets.
#3 Andrés Guardado - Mexico
Another Mexican player who will be achieving this incredible milestone at the 2022 FIFA World Cup is midfielder Andrés Guardado. The 36-year-old veteran will be making his fifth appearance in the quadrennial football competition after being selected for Mexico for the first time in the 2006 version.
Guardado came off the bench in the Round of 16 phase of the tournament against Argentina, where Mexico ended up losing 2-1 after extra time. The veteran has since played in 11 more games across the 2010, 2014 and 2018 versions, scoring and assisting one goal each. He has a whopping 180 caps for his country in which he has scored 28 goals.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal
At age 37, Cristiano Ronaldo will join the elite list of players to appear at five separate World Cups, when the competition begins in Qatar. The Portuguese icon is widely considered to be one of the best players of all time and has had an unparalleled football career.
Ronaldo's elite fitness and longevity as a professional footballer has seen him future in four World Cups prior to the 2022 edition in Qatar. He was at the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 edition with Portugal.
The 37-year-old fold first turned out for his team at the 2006 World Cup in a group stage game against Angola, which Portugal won by a 1-0 scoreline. The superstar has since represented his nation in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 versions, making a total of 17 appearances and scoring seven goals.
The icon will look to break his duck of never scoring in a World Cup knockout game and will hope to add the coveted trophy to his illustrious trophy cabinet.
#1 Lionel Messi - Argentina
Another player who will be making his fifth appearance at a FIFA World Cup event is Argentine icon Lionel Messi. The 35-year-old forward made his first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2006 in a group stage game against Serbia & Montenegro and unsurprisingly scored and assisted a goal each.
The Argentine superstar went on to feature in 2010, 2014 and 2018, coming very close in the 2014 version when Argentina lost the final to Germany in extra time. The diminutive Argentine has played a total 19 games in the FIFA World Cup, scoring six goals and assisting five more.
Argentina have been earmarked as one of the favorites for this year's edition of Qatar. Messi, 35, has already declared that he will be playing his final FIFA World Cup this time around. He, along with millions of his fans, will hope that the icon wraps his hands around the famous gold trophy before he calls it a day.
