, author: Быстрова А.

The stars are getting ready to fall: For which famous soccer players.

Among them are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski.

Nothing in sports is eternal: champions fall off the pedestals, and those who have delighted fans for years end their careers. The upcoming World Cup in Qatar will definitely or probably be the last in the career of a number of brilliant masters.

Lionel Messi, 35

The phenomenon from Argentina has already announced that the 2022 World Cup will be his final. If there is one thing missing from his glittering collection of awards, it is World Cup gold. The upcoming tournament will be his fifth, and eight years ago Messi was as close as ever to winning the title, but then the Germans won the final in extra time, 1-0. Messi is now in good form, his game shows no signs of fading, and he is definitely ready to lead the Argentines. Although he himself does not consider the Albiceleste one of the main favorites of the tournament, but will do everything to refute his own forecast.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 37

The Manchester United forward has no plans to hang up his boots - he also plans to play at the European Championship in 2024, but he has kept quiet about the next World Cup. And no wonder: Ronaldo is currently going through perhaps the toughest period of his career. As usual, he also creates problems for himself, but returning to the club now is by no means the right decision. However, he is still a real warlord for the Portuguese national team and is ready to help it move as far up the standings as possible.

Robert Lewandowski, 34

Lewandowski, tired of Bayern, finally switched clubs this summer and went to Barcelona, where he never stops scoring. It is possible that he will not change this in the coming years, but the Polish national team, in which he holds the record for the number of matches and goals scored, cannot boast stability. So it is possible that they will not qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Therefore, Lewandowski in Qatar needs to play in such a way that everyone will remember. And he can do it.

Karim Benzema, 34

He, too, could have triumphed at last year's World Cup with France, but nearly ruined his own international career after a story of blackmailing Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema did not play for the national team for six years and returned to it in 2021 to become one of the best at the European Championships. The reigning Ballon d'Or winner must prove to himself and others in Qatar that he is not a loser who has denied himself the league title. And for that, the French probably need to rise to the top again.

Dani Alves, 39

The former farmer and salesman, former footballer of Barcelona, Juventus and PSG, Olympic champion and defender of the Mexican UNAM Pumas does not want to leave the game he loves - so much so that despite his advanced age he was included in the bid for the 2022 World Cup. Probably, Alves is spurred on by the fact that he does not have the world championship title: Brazilians have not won world championship medals for twenty years. It's time to break the tradition, especially since Dani's glorious career deserves a fine point.

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