Top 5 Football Players With Most Appearances In The FIFA World Cup

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If you’re a football head, you would firmly agree on the fact that, in addition to being one of the most prestigious football events, the FIFA World Cup is also undoubtedly one of the most massive sporting events in the world that garner enormous viewership every season. Although the FIFA World Cup transpires after a span of four years, it still continues to be one of the most sought-after and besotted sporting events on a global level, hailed by billions of deep-dyed fans of the game. 

Well, to represent their country at the world’s largest and most prestigious football event is undoubtedly nothing short of a dream for almost every football player under the sky and interestingly, there have been a few legendary football players who have lived this quintessential dream many times. Without much ado, let’s explore exciting details about the iconic football players who have made the highest number of appearances in the FIFA World Cup.

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In this article, we will take a look at the top five legendary football players with the most appearances in the FIFA World Cup.

Football Players With Most Appearances in the FIFA World Cup

1. Lionel Messi

Often hailed as one of the greatest footballers of all time in the world, the Argentine professional football player Lionel Messi has clinched numerous records under his name throughout his glorious footballing career, including a total of eight Ballon D’or awards, six European Golden Shoe awards and has also been acknowledged as the “world’s best player” by FIFA for a record total of eight times. With over 800 senior career goals for club and country, Lionel Messi has clinched a total of 44 team trophies, four UEFA Champions League seasons, two Copa América and a FIFA World Cup. Apart from all these stellar records and achievements, Lionel Messi also holds the record for making the highest number of appearances at the FIFA World Cup, i.e. 26.

2. Lothar Matthaus

At the second spot in our list of top five legendary football players with the most appearances in the FIFA World Cup, we have former German professional football player and manager Lothar Herbert Matthaus. Often hailed as one of the most dominant central and defensive midfielders, Lothar Matthäus appeared in the FIFA Cup a total of twenty-five times, which is the second-highest recorded total to date. A dependable midfielder as one of the greatest captains of the West Germany side, Lothar Matthäus led his team to a formidable victory at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, which also led him to clinch the most coveted Ballon d’Or award.

3. Miroslav Klose

Another former German professional football player, Miroslav Klose, who is also widely recognized as one of the top scorers of all-time at the FIFA World Cup, is at the third spot in our list of top five legendary football players with the most appearances in the FIFA World Cup. Miroslav Klose made a total of 24 appearances at the FIFA World Cup and assisted Germany to a streak of numerous glorious victories. Miroslav Klose scored a total of sixteen goals at the FIFA World Cup, including a tournament-leading five in Germany in 2006.

4. Paolo Maldini

Next, at the fourth spot in our list of the top five legendary football players with the most appearances in the FIFA World Cup, we have former Italian professional football player Paolo Maldini who, although failed to clinch the World Cup or any other international title, still left his mark as one of the most influential and iconic football players in the world. Paolo Maldini represented Italy at the FIFA World Cup in every consecutive edition from 1990 to 2002. Paolo Maldini’s last outing was the FIFA World Cup 2002 for Italy.

5. Cristiano Ranaldo

Although at the fifth spot in our list of top five legendary football players with the most appearances in the FIFA World Cup, the iconic and legendary Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo is nothing less than a spell-working saga of eminence when it comes to the game of football. Ronaldo holds the record for making the fifth-highest total of appearances at the FIFA World Cup, i.e. 22. In addition to that, with the most recent 2022 FIFA World Cup edition, Cristiano Ronaldo also set the record for participating in five consecutive World Cup editions and also became the only football player in the world to score a goal in each one of them for his team.

Also Read: Kylian Mbappe’s Struggles At Real Madrid: Why He’s Failing To Shine

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