The FIFA World Cup has taken place every four years since 1930 with only a few exceptions, and Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup has taken the whole school by storm. Students and even some teachers have been watching and following games as they play. Teams have won and lost against all odds, and there are two teams standing. Even the U.S.A. went on an exciting run, tying England and beating Iran to qualify for the round of 16.
Some of the players participating this year have been playing for a long time, including Alfredo Talavera, Pepe and Dani Alvez. Talavera has participated in 3 World Cups, 2014, 2018, and 2022 - all as the goalkeeper for Mexico’s team. He has been the face of Mexico’s team for quite a while, coming up with impressive saves constantly. Pepe has participated in four World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) as a defender for Portugal. He is also the oldest player in the history of the World Cup to have scored a goal (against Switzerland), at 39 years old. Alves is a right-back for Brazil’s soccer team and has been to the World Cup in 2006 and 2014 and is currently participating in this year’s FIFA World Cup as well.
Atiba Hutchinson is a midfielder for Canada and started playing when he was just four years old. His professional career began at the age of nineteen, and he is now 39 years and 9 months old. He is one of the top ten oldest players ever to feature at a World Cup.
Remko Pasveer is a goalkeeper for the Netherlands, and this year is his first time at the World Cup at 39 years old. It’s never too late to achieve your dreams, as Pasveer has shown us.
A goalie for Japan in the 2022 World Cup, Eiji Kawashima, has been to the World Cup three times already, and this year is his fourth time. Sadly, Japan has already been eliminated from this year’s tournament.
Thiago Silva is considered one of the greatest defenders of all time, and he’s playing in his second World Cup this year at 38 years old. Playing for Brazil as a center-back, he assisted in a goal for his team against South Korea.
Cristiano Ronaldo, at 37 years old, still plays for Portugal. He underwent a difficult heart surgery at just 15 years old and continued on to become widely regarded as one of the best players of all time. He’s won a grand total of thirty-two trophies in his career and had his fair share of iconic moments. He is the only male player to score in five World Cups after already scoring a goal this year in Portugal’s first game against Ghana.
Similarly, at 35, Lionel Messi continues to play for Argentina and has scored four goals already in this World Cup. Originally thought to be too short to ever play soccer professionally, he has defied all expectations and proven himself to be the greatest player to play the game of soccer. He has a club record (in Barcelona) of thirty-five trophies and is playing at his fifth World Cup this year. The World Cup is the only major trophy that Messi doesn’t have under his belt, and he is looking to change that this year.
Ronaldo and Messi are the two greatest soccer players of this generation and have both been listed on Time’s 100 most influential people in the world. Both have appeared in social media with Louis Vuitton and Jacob & Co. Messi and Ronaldo have shown us that determination and hard work can make your dreams come true, even if everyone says it’s impossible. Messi has even started his own store called The Messi Store, and Ronaldo has his own gym called CR7 Fitness in some parts of Spain and Portugal!
The FIFA World Cup has taken Edgemont by storm and it has been fun to watch the older players continue to show their abilities this year. We’re still watching to see exactly which team will take home this year’s World Cup. However, in the upcoming 2026 World Cup the winning team will definitely be in the USA, as we are one of the hosts of the tournament! See you again in four years!