In the penultimate round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup South American Qualifiers, Chile, who was still on the road to Brazil, had many familiar names in Chile's starting lineup: Bravo, 38, Vidal, 34, Medel, 33, Isla, 33, and Sanchez, 33.
In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa 12 years ago, Bravo, Vidal, Medel, Isla and Sanchez were already the main players in the Chilean squad.
Over the past decade or so, these five players have been the most familiar Chilean stars for fans, the golden generation of Chile, who have participated in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups and helped Chile win consecutive Copa America titles in 2015 and 2016.
These five players have all made more than 130 appearances for the national team, and in the chilean national team appearance list, it is these five veterans who are in the top five:
1. Sanchez, 48 goals in 148 games
2. Medel, 145 games
3. Bravo, 143 games
4. Isla, 136 games
5. Vidal, 32 goals in 133 games
Among them, Sanchez is also the holder of the Chilean national team's goal record.
In the 2022 World Cup South American qualifiers, Bravo, Vidal, Medel, Isla, Sanchez, the five veterans, are still the main force in the Chilean squad; while the other two main players, Alangis and Vargas, are also 32 years old, which means that as many as 7 players in Chile's current main lineup have passed the age of standing.
Vargas, who has scored 40 goals in 106 games, is 8th in the Chilean national team's rankings for the number of appearances, while he is second on the Chilean national team's goals list, behind Sanchez. Vargas, who has not been successful in his European career, has scored quite efficiently in the Copa America, scoring 4 goals and 6 goals in the 2015 and 2016 Copa America, and winning the Golden Boot twice in a row, including Chile's 7-0 sweep of Mexico in the 2016 Copa America quarter-finals, and Vargas staged a senior year. Vargas, 32, currently plays for Baricos domini Atlético Mineiro.
Midfielder Alangis, who has been playing for Bayer Leverkusen for seven seasons, has been a midfielder for the Chilean national team for many years, and the 32-year-old has made 96 appearances for Chile, ranking 9th on the national team's list of appearances.
Chile, which has as many as 7 players over 30 years old and facing the problem of replacing the old and new, has a final record of 5 wins, 4 draws and 9 losses after 18 rounds of the 2022 Qatar World Cup South American Qualifiers, and Chile, which has accumulated 19 points, finally ranked seventh in the standings and missed the 2022 Qatar World Cup. In the 2018 World Cup South American Qualifiers, Chile ranked sixth in the standings and missed the 2018 World Cup in Russia. After reaching the round of 16 at both the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, Chile have missed consecutive World Cups in 2018 and 2022.
As the golden generation of players has aged, Chile's overall strength has inevitably declined, and the younger generation of Chilean players has not yet picked up the beams.
Striker Brilton, who has scored three goals in seven appearances in this World Cup, is a newly emerging Chilean international, born and raised in the United Kingdom, his father is British and his mother is from Chile. Brilton made appearances and scored goals for England U19, helping the team win the 2017 Under-17 European Youth Championship. At the senior national team level, Brilton ultimately chose Chile. Currently playing for Blackburn, he has scored 20 goals in the Championship this season, ranking third in the Championship top scorers list, and the 22-year-old striker has played in the Championship for six seasons and has not yet played in the Premier League.
The younger generation of Chilean players such as Brilton need to continue to train and improve. As the golden generation of players has aged, the Chilean national team has had to speed up the replacement of the new and old players in the lineup.
Who will be the next Chilean player to shine in Europe's top five leagues?