Pele and Maradona are regarded as the best players of all time, and an important criterion is that they not only won the World Cup, but also shined on the World Cup stage. Because of this, for Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, the Hercules Cup has also become the last and most important goal of their brilliant careers. At the Qatar World Cup, many top players will be the last to hit the Hercules Cup!
Pele won the World Cup 3 times
In the history of the World Cup, Pele is the only player to win the World Cup three times, and is therefore regarded as the "king of the ball". In addition, 12 Brazilian players, 4 Italian players and 1 Argentine player have won the World Cup twice.
Maradona only won the 1986 World Cup, but in this World Cup, Maradona almost single-handedly helped Argentina win the title, scoring five goals and five assists. After Garincha in 1962, Maradona was the second player to do just that.
Due to the restrictions of the rules, Pele and Maradona have never won a Ballon d'Or. In history, only eight players, Gad Muller, Charlton, Beckenbauer, Rossi, Zidane, Rivaldo, Ronaldo And Kaka, have won the three top honors of the World Cup, the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or at the same time.
The final battle of the three Golden Globes
Since Kaka raised the yuan in 2007, the Golden Globes have become the stage for Messi and C Ronaldo, and the two have won the award for 10 years. In the past 13 years, only Modric broke the monopoly of the two in 2018.
However, neither Messi, C Ronaldo nor Modric has ever won the Hercules Cup. After winning the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or, the World Cup title became the last goal of the trio's career.
For 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, 36-year-old Modric and 35-year-old Messi, the Qatar World Cup may be their last appearance. After the battle against Venezuela, Messi has hinted that he will withdraw from the national team after the World Cup.
Messi led the team to the final of the 2014 World Cup, while Modric reached the final of the 2018 World Cup. Compared to the two Golden Balls, Ronaldo's achievements in the World Cup dwarf those of him. However, Cristiano Ronaldo is still eager to truly prove himself on the World Cup stage, hitting the World Cup Golden Boot and the World Cup goal record of the Portuguese player.
Playing in the World Cup for the fifth time, Who will achieve their ultimate goal in Messi and C Ronaldo?
Second crown? Virgin ball?
In addition to the three Golden Ballon d'Ors, the Qatar World Cup will also be the curtain call for many top stars in the World Cup. After winning the 2014 World Cup, 33-year-old Mueller and 36-year-old Neuer will play again. After stopping the Round of 16 at the European Championship, Germany hopes to complete redemption in the World Cup, and Müller and Neuer will attack their second World Cup.
The 35-year-old Suarez and Cavani have been core members of Uruguay's front line for more than a decade, but this may be the last time they will play for their country. After reaching the final four in 2010, can the two Uruguayan strikers create magic again?
France's forward line may be in better shape than Uruguay's strike combination, with 36-year-old Giroud, 35-year-old Benzema and young Mbappe enough to make any opponent feel intimidated. Among them, Mbappe and Giroud both won the 2018 World Cup with the team, and this time their goal is to defend their titles.
Missing the 2018 World Cup is perhaps one of the biggest regrets of Benzema's career. After 4 years, he hopes to make up for such regrets. After returning to the national team, Benzema quickly became the core, and the excellent form shown at Real Madrid made him more confident.
Levan, 34, will also play in the World Cup for the last time. In the play-offs, Levan-led Poland eliminated Sweden, dashing Ibrahimovic's dream of playing in the World Cup at the age of 40. Constrained by the overall strength of the team, Levan has not performed well in the World Cup and has not even scored in the World Cup. Playing in the World Cup for the last time, Levan's goal is to score his World Cup debut.
Neymar, 30, may not be old compared to these veterans, but he has made it clear that he will retire from the national team after the World Cup in Qatar. As the core player of the Samba Army for nearly 10 years, Neymar's goal is to lead the team to the sixth Hercules Cup and break the curse of not winning the championship in 20 years.