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When Cristiano Ronaldo scored against Ghana on Thursday (November 24), he became the first player in the history of men’s football to have scored in five World Cups from 2006 through 2022.
Ronaldo’s achievement is remarkable given footballers do not typically have very long careers. According to England’s Professional Footballers’ Association, the career of a professional footballer lasts for only a little more eight years on average. Also, they do not perform at the same level through their careers, and age and injury impact their performance.
Ronaldo is indeed the poster-child for longevity at the elite level. In fact, there have been only seven other players to have ever played in five World Cups: Germany’s Lothar Matthaus, Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon, Argentina’s Lionel Messi, and four Mexicans — Antonio Carbajal, Rafa Marquez, Andres Guardado, and Guillermo Ochoa.
Here’s who Ronaldo went past when he slammed home a penalty in Portugal’s 3-2 victory over Ghana.
Uwe Seeler (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970)
Seeler was a gifted goal scorer for West Germany, playing in four World Cups and scoring nine goals in 21 matches. Although West Germany won the World Cup in 1954 and 1974, Seeler himself remained trophyless. However, his West German team performed admirably in all the four World Cups he played in, reaching at least the semifinal each time. Seeler was the first man to reach 20 appearances in the World Cup, and the first to score a goal in four World Cups (beating Pele to this feat by mere minutes), scoring at least two goals in each of the tournaments.
As a player, he was a powerful striker with a rocket right foot and Superman-like aerial abilities. He would go on to be the prototype for the star centre-forwards we see today, with devastating finishing abilities with both foot and forehead.
He was also a born leader, willing his team forward through the toughest of times. In 2005, a giant statue of his right foot was unveiled outside his club stadium in Hamburg.
Pele (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970)
Considered by some as the greatest to ever play the beautiful game, Pele is a World Cup icon unlike any other. From the favelas of Rio to the gullies of Kolkata, Pele’s mythical footballing feats are discussed every time a World Cup comes around.
More than 50 years after his final appearance for the Seleção, a period in which Brazil has produced a galaxy of footballing stalwarts, Pele remains the defining player for the country. As Italian poet Pier Paolo Pasolini put it, “The moment the ball arrived at Pele’s feet, football transformed into poetry.”
Pele played in four World Cups, winning three of them (the 1966 edition was won by England on their home turf) and scoring a staggering 12 goals in 14 games. He remains the only footballer to win three World Cups. He is also the top scorer for Brazil in international football, scoring 77 times in 92 games.
Miroslav Klose (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
Miroslav Klose is the highest goal scorer in World Cups, scoring 16 goals in 24 games. He did this over the course of four World Cups where his German team made the semi-final twice and the final twice, finally winning the elusive trophy in 2014.
While he had a respectable but unremarkable club career, Klose seemed to attain superhuman abilities the moment a World Cup started. He had a knack for scoring big goals in crucial moments and was at the heart of the German national team for a decade and a half.
At his peak, he was a quick centre-forward with brilliant timing and technique, a combination that would get him many goals. A typical Klose goal would involve him making a last minute run into the goal area, catching opponents flat-footed and scoring from point blank range. This would be followed by his trademark somersault celebration.
Lionel Messi (2006, 2014, 2018, 2022)
There are few footballers who can do as much on the pitch as Lionel Messi. Currently playing in his fifth World Cup, he is Argentina’s talisman: the leader, best goal-scorer, and best creator. He was the player of the tournament in 2014 where his team finished second to the machinic Germans.
Messi is arguably the greatest player of all time with a dazzling club career for Barcelona and PSG, and a polarising career for the Argentina team where they have often fallen short of expectations despite having a lot of talent. He has scored seven goals in 20 appearances, and assisted in another six.
Messi is a diminutive forward with magnetic ball control, sublime technique, and a left foot that makes the ball sing. He is truly a player for the romantic football fan, bringing the legions of his supporters to ecstatic tears as he dribbles past bewildered opponents, playing the perfect pass or placing the ball just out of reach of the goalkeeper. Qatar 2022 is possibly Messi’s last chance to get the elusive World Cup trophy.
While Ronaldo is the first man to score in five World Cups, he was preceded by two women, making him the third footballer to ever achieve the feat.
Marta (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019)
Affectionately called “Pele with skirts” by Brazilian fans, Marta is arguably the greatest woman footballer of all time. Beginning her career as a classic number 10 with typical Brazilian flair for the game, she has moved into the forward line in her later years, earning her even more opportunities to score goals. Currently, she is the highest scorer (man or woman) in World Cups, netting a ridiculous 17 goals in 20 games.
She is also the first footballer to score in five consecutive Olympic Games, winning the silver medal at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. In a sport dominated by the United States, Marta has risen above any other woman footballer, becoming an icon for the women’s game.
Christine Sinclair (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019)
Sinclair is another great of the women’s game, scoring 10 goals in 21 World Cup appearances for the Canadian team. She is blessed with immense strength, fantastic game-intelligence, solid technique, tireless energy, and an allround game as a centre-forward who is a coach’s dream. Simply put, she is the ultimate professional who is just very good in all aspects of the game.
Crucially, she is a big-game player, scoring goals when the team requires as exhibited by her hattrick against the United States in the semi-final of the 2012 Olympics.
She has won the Canadian Soccer Player of the Year award a whopping 14 times and won an Olympic gold medal in 2020 playing her 300th game for Canada in that tournament.
