Ronaldo made 22 appearances in the World Cup, ranking only 5th. Which players are in the top four? One person is expected to exceed 30 times

As time goes by, the 2026 US, Canada and Mexico World Cup is approaching, and some teams have passed the qualifiers and have determined their qualifications for the World Cup. The defending champions Argentina and five-star Brazil are ready to compete in the World Cup. With one year left in the game, fans are full of expectations for this World Cup. As the true Ragnarok, the US, Canada and Mexico World Cup will be the last World Cup for a generation of players such as Messi and Ronaldo, and they will also break the history of the World Cup and usher in the 6th World Cup. As the best in football, few people can achieve what they have achieved.

As Ronaldo, who has participated in the World Cup five times, is now 40 years old. In the European League field not long ago, Ronaldo just led the Portuguese national team to win the second European League championship. In this way, Portuguese fans are full of hope for next year's World Cup. In his career, Ronaldo has scored 8 goals in the World Cup 22 appearances. In terms of World Cup history, Ronaldo ranks fifth, and in terms of goals, Ronaldo's 8 World Cup goals were all group stage goals, so fans also used this to mock Ronaldo, and there was no World Cup knockout goal. Next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico may be the last chance for Ronaldo to break the doubts. He will also have a chance to surpass Maldini and others in front of him and make the top four in the historical number of World Cup appearances. Currently, Messi is still in the game, and Ronaldo has the opportunity to surpass Maldini, Klose and Mattus.

Maltini 23 appearances in the World Cup

Italian legend Maldini has participated in 4 World Cup matches in total, including 23 appearances for the Blues, which is one more than Ronaldo behind him. As early as the 1990 World Cup, Maldini made his debut on the World Cup. Maldini played in all 7 games in that World Cup and won the third place in the World Cup with Italy. In the 1994 World Cup, Maldini followed Italy to the final, but unfortunately he lost the penalty in the final with Brazil. The Horse Team completed full attendance in this World Cup. Italy lost to the final champion France in the 1998 World Cup. Maldini made five appearances in this competition. At the 2002 World Cup, Italy encountered the Black Hour and ended in the quarterfinals. Maldini also regrettably ended his World Cup journey and left 23 appearances in the World Cup.

Klose 24 appearances in the World Cup

As the World Cup historical scorer, Klose can be said to be one of the most successful players in the history of the World Cup. In his four World Cups, Klose not only successfully scored 16 goals and became the No. 1 scorer in the World Cup, but also reached the semi-finals in all four World Cups, winning one championship, one runner-up and two third-place finishes. At the same time, Klose made 24 appearances in the World Cup, ranking third among all players. He played 7 times and scored 5 goals in the World Cup in early 2002. In 2006, he played again in the World Cup and scored 5 goals in 7 times and won the World Cup Golden Boot. Klose made five appearances in the 2010 World Cup and the 2014 World Cup, and was crowned the World Cup champion and World Cup scorer in 2014, which made his World Cup journey successfully ended, with a total of 24 appearances in the four World Cups.

Mattus has played 25 times in the World Cup

Mattus has followed Germany to the World Cup 5 times. In 1982, Mattus first entered the World Cup, and then followed Germany to the World Cup finals and finally won the runner-up. Mattus only played twice in the group stage. In the 1986 World Cup, Germany reached the final again. This time, facing Argentina, Germany lost the final again, and Mattus completed 7 appearances in this world. In the 1990 World Cup, Germany took revenge on Argentina in the final and won the World Cup championship. Mattus made all 7 games. Germany stopped in the quarterfinals of the 1994 World Cup, and Mattus made 5 appearances; in 1998, Mattus made 4 appearances, with a total of 25 appearances and became the world cup historical star at that time, until Messi broke the record in 2022.

Messi has made 26 appearances in the World Cup 5 times, making him the player with the most appearances in World Cup history. In the 2006 World Cup, Messi made his first World Cup appearance and made a total of 3 appearances in this World Cup. In the 2010 World Cup, Argentina stopped in the quarterfinals, and Messi made 5 appearances in this World Cup. In the 2014 World Cup, Messi led Argentina to the final, but unfortunately lost to Germany in the final, and Messi started all 7 games. In 2018, Argentina stopped in the quarterfinals, Messi scored 1 goal in four appearances and gave two assists. In the 2022 World Cup, Messi led Argentina to win the Hercules Cup, contributing 7 goals and 3 assists in 7 games. While winning the World Cup championship, he broke the 24-year record of Mattus's 24-year appearance and became the World Cup leader with 26 appearances. In the 2026 US, Canada and Mexico World Cup, as Messi's last World Cup, he will usher in his 6th World Cup with Ronaldo, becoming the only two existence in the history of the World Cup. At the US, Canada and Mexico World Cup, Messi is expected to continue to break the World Cup appearance record. Whether this number can exceed 30 times is worth all fans' expectations.