From applause to smiles to singing, Cristiano Ronaldo seized a few moments to celebrate with his Portuguese teammates after qualifying for his "fifth" World Cup. Similarly, Argentine star Lionel Messi celebrated extensively when his national team secured qualification for Qatar 2022, months ago. Ronaldo and Messi will join a "special club" in the world of football, that of the stars who have participated in 5 World Cups, an extraordinary achievement in the sport.
Only four other players have appeared in the World Cup 5 times: Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from 1998 to 2014, Mexican defender Rafael Márquez from 2002 to 2018, German midfielder Lothar Matthäus from 1982 to 1998, and Mexican goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal from 1950 to 1966. Among other players who have the chance to join Ronaldo and Messi in participating in a fifth World Cup in Qatar 2022 are Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and Mexican midfielder Andrés Guardado, who have also played in four World Cups. Spanish defender Sergio Ramos has also participated in four World Cups, but he was not called up by coach Luis Enrique recently, meaning his career will include only four tournaments.
Ronaldo and Messi first participated in the World Cup in the 2006 tournament in Germany and have continued to participate in every global tournament up to 2022, which may be their last.
