TThe upcoming World Cup has a historical element that cannot be ignored. This will be the first and last time Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will face each other at a World Cup. A group of talent that is unlikely to be repeated due to age, cycle or sporting background will make for a unique event for fans.
The presence of Messi and Cristiano at the same time is already a statistical anomaly. Both have had extraordinary careers spanning almost two decades, but arrive at the twilight of this final event. At their age, playing in another World Cup is virtually impossible. That’s why this edition marks a definitive farewell between the two giants who have dominated world football for more than 15 years.
Messi and Cristiano: an inevitable farewell to an era that cannot be repeated
For Lionel Messi, this World Cup marks the end of a golden cycle with Argentina. The Argentine, world champion, Copa America winner and multiple Ballon d’Or winner, heads into the tournament with the certainty that this will be his last appearance. His level is still high, but the calendar no longer allows him to think about a new World Cup cycle. Cristiano Ronaldo is in a similar situation in Portugal. His fitness is still great, but due to his age, he will no longer be able to aim for the World Cup. This will be the final chapter for the national team’s all-time leading scorer in the world’s most important tournament, and a definitive end to one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport.
Mbappé and Haaland: the beginning of a new hegemony
On the other side of this generational equation are Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, two players expected to dominate the next decade of world football. Mbappé already knows what it’s like to shine at the World Cup. Champions in 2018, absolutes in 2022 and already established as one of the leaders of modern football.
Haaland scored 12 goals against Honduras in the U-20 World Cup, with Norway having not qualified since 1998, a year before he was born in 1999.
. His presence symbolizes the Scandinavian nation’s return to the tournament for the first time in more than 20 years.
Lineup of an era that will never be repeated
Make this World Cup an event that can never be repeated
. It’s a clash of generations, styles and heritages that only intersect at this point in history.
We will experience something that we will never get in soccer again. The first and last World Cup shared by Messi, Cristiano, Mbappe and Haaland.
