Legendary Brazilian football player Marta has announced her retirement from international football this year. At 38 years old, she is known to be Brazil’s all-time record goalscorer in the said sport.
If Marta is chosen for Brazil’s team this summer in Paris, she might compete in her sixth Olympic Games. The athlete declared: “If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because, regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team.”
“There will be no more Marta from 2025 in the national team as an athlete,” Marta added.
Marta’s journey in international football
In Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, Marta placed second in the Olympic Games but was defeated by the US team both times. With 17 goals in 23 appearances throughout six World Cups, Marta is the all-time top goal scorer for both men’s and women’s teams.
When Brazil lost to Germany in the 2007 World Cup, she came the closest to winning the championship. Following Brazil’s loss from the World Cup in the previous summer, she declared that “there is no more World Cup for Marta”.
With her retirement, she is at ease handing the torch to the upcoming Brazilian football players.
Marta remarked: “We have a really qualified team with really talented girls who, as the years go by, you will see what I’m talking about…Because of this I feel very comfortable saying: ‘Listen, I’m passing on to you, I’m going to pass on the baton and you continue to carry on this legacy.'”
Rachel Daly, 32, is a key player for the Lionesses and has an outstanding record of 84 caps has called it quits. She played a major role in England’s successful Euro campaign and their incredible run to the World Cup final last summer.
Her legendary career with the national team came to an end on Tuesday when she made a farewell cameo appearance as a substitute against the Republic of Ireland.
‘It has been a privilege’ – Rachel Daly receives this heart-warming message from Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman after the shock decision to call it quit after a glittering international career
Daly retired from her Lionesses journey on Wednesday, shortly after contributing to England’s 2-0 Euro 2025 qualifying victory against the Republic of Ireland.
The 32-year-old acknowledged the challenge of this choice but expressed profound gratitude for her 84 caps and 16 goals for the national team. Following heartfelt tributes from teammates, England coach Wiegman echoed the sentiment, lauding Daly as the most “adaptable” player she has encountered in her career.
Daly will be missed
“She’ll be missed not just by me but all the other staff members, players, and of course the fans.” Wiegman said to Skysports.
Daly says it is certainly bittersweet to announce her retirement from the world stage. Although saying goodbye to wearing the England jersey is difficult, it’s an occasion filled with reflection and deep gratitude, she says.
Brazil has confirmed their 26-man selecao or squad for the Qatar World Cup and it includes a plethora of Premier League stars, which is not surprising at all given the popularity of the ‘samba’ players in the UK.
There were a lot of notable absentees in the list which is very surprising for some but coach Tite has perhaps decided to go with a younger generation squad in these competitions.
Naming the squad on Monday, we notice the absence of Premier League duo Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Magalhaes – while Philippe Coutinho had already been ruled out due to injury.
Neymar, who is a colourful player not only by his appearance but also by his style of play and dives, is part of the squad.
This is one chance he may not miss to make his mark on history and win the cup for Brazil, but he is bound to become the top all-time goalscorer for Brazil in World Cup competitions. That will be a major feat for the player.
Image of Gabriel Jesus, from Wikipedia.
Another unmissable figure in the squad is Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus. One of the top scorers this season in the Premier League, Jesus is a regular feature in the Brazil squad, in and out of the World Cup, similar to Neymar.
Jesus is also a better build-up striker compared to others on the list. He is also a better-goal scorer, with much more pace and pressing ability, he looked extremely sharp in his game.
Image of Gabriel Martinelli from Wikipedia.
Another Arsenal player is Gabriel Martinelli and he makes it into the final squad for Qatar along with Chelsea’s Thiago Silva, Manchester United’s Casemiro, Fred and Antony, Liverpool’s Fabinho and Spurs’ Richarlison.
They will all form a powerful Latin American team and it will be very interesting to see how they defend the colours of their country, certainly after the recent debacles Brazil has suffered during World Cups.
Brazil’s World Cup participations
The country has not won the trophy since 2002, which is 20 years ago. They faced a 24-year drought without a trophy when they won it in 1970 and failed to reach the final until 1994.
Image of Brazil World Cup fans in 2014, from Wikipedia.
In 1998, they were humiliated by a poweful French side that won the cup for the first time in their history with a 3-0 win with Zinedine Zidane leaving Brazil licking to lick wounds.
And how to forget the complete bashing in 2014 when half the world woke up to Brazil, the mighty champions and great football nation, getting defeated 7-1 by Germany in Brazil itself.
Cristiano Ronaldo demonstrates his strength by bowing out gracefully after Portugal’s 1-0 World Cup loss to Morocco. It is uncommon to see one of the biggest football stars become enraged or go on an accusation rampage after their country is eliminated in the most unceremonious manner.
In a post on his Facebook page, he says winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of his career. “Fortunately I won many titles of international dimension, including with Portugal, but putting our country’s name on the highest foot in the World was my biggest dream.”
The dream crashed after a magnificent performance by Morocco, the only African representatives left in the World Cup. Morocco is playing against France in the semi-finals this Thursday (Malaysia time) and Ronaldo would surely miss the challenge and the adrenaline of such an encounter.
The worst case scenario has happened for Ronaldo after his brutal exit from Manchester United where he says he was un-welcomed and now his future with the national team too is questioned.
Head on his shoulder
Cristiano Ronaldo “revealed” on Instagram that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be his final tournament, which isn’t a huge shock considering he’ll be 41 by the time the USA, Mexico, and Canada tournament rolls around in 2026.
Ronaldo was uninspiring for the most part of his participation in the match against Morocco. But he had one chance to bring Portugal to equalise against the Maghribi side if not for the mighty save by the goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo showed calmness in the aftermath of the defeat.
“I fought for it . I fought hard for this dream. In the 5 appearances I scored in World Cups over 16 years, I was always by the side of great players and supported by millions of Portuguese, I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream,” he said.
He adds, “sadly the dream ended’ and that It is not worth reacting to heat of the moment.
He however, laments what he calls the lies and misinformation spread about him.
“I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed not for a moment. I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country.
“Not much more to say for now. Thank you Portugal. Thank you Qatar The dream was nice while it lasted… Now, it’s hoping that the weather will be good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions. ??❤️??”
Ronaldo and World Cup goals
He now has 10 goals overall after the four goals he has already scored in the 2022 World Cup. Ronaldo and Portugal were eliminated, so he won’t have a chance to add to his eight goals.
The remarkable total of 195 international appearances held by Malaysian football legend Datuk Soh Chin Aun has been surpassed by Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal’s 37-year-old Ronaldo made his 196th appearance for his country in Saturday’s quarterfinal match against Morocco at the World Cup being held in Qatar.
Portugal has made it to the FIFA World Cup final round eight times, including in 1966, 1986, 2002, and every subsequent final round. As of 2022, their third-place finish in 1966 and fourth in 2006 remain their best finishes.
Eusebio remains the best
Despite Ronaldo’s best performances for his country, he is still not as good as Eusebio in some sense.
The one FIFA World Cup the Portuguese international Eusébio da Silva Ferreira participated in was sufficient for him to manage this record.
In 1966, Portugal qualified for the World Cup for the first time, and to everyone’s surprise, they finished in third place. Eusebio had a major impact on that edition.
The 1965 Ballon d’Or winner beat Korea DPR in the quarterfinals with four goals, advancing them to the semifinal. They lost to England, who went on to win the competition. The tournament’s Golden boot was won by Eusebio, also known as the Black Panther.
The World Cup season is getting more intense as the days go by, now with Germany no longer qualified to play in it, fans are in a pickled situation. Furthermore, the most common talk about the World Cup this year has been clouded by “woke” issues and not of the actual sport itself.
It is so often that many are interested in who scored the most goals or who has the potential to score more. However, it is not often that one would consider who has played in the World Cup for the longest.
According to an analyst site, they have listed the players who have participated in the World Cup the most. This would of course span across the near century worth of players who participated in the tournament.
Who joined the most World Cup matches?
Number five, Uwe Seeler
Image of Uwe Seeler in 1968, from Wikipedia.
Uwe Seeler, a German footballer, joined the 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970 tournaments. He has set a remarkable benchmark to which it is possible that the current players we have today might still follow.
He has made over 21 appearances over the span of four dedicated World Cup matches. The last game he played for the tournament was called “the match of the century” in 1970. This is where West Germany lost to Italy in a 4-3 semi-final.
Uwe Seeler has since passed away on 21 July 2022, just a few months ago. He died at the age of 85-years-old. Prior to his death, he was listed in the 100 greatest players alive by Pele.
Number four, Diego Maradona
Image of Diego Maradona in 1986, from Wikipedia.
Diego Maradona is up there when it comes to one of the most famous footballers who have ever lived. He participated in the 1982, 1986, 1990 and the 1994 World Cup. He participated in the tournament for the span of four World Cups and 21 appearances, similar to Uwe Seeler.
He will always be remembered as the man who brought Argentina to World Cup success. In 1986, he scored at least 10 goals out of the 14 scored for his country, hence that kind of power moves gave him the title he deserves.
The former golden boy passed away at 60-years-old back in 2020. Furthermore, he was voted to have scored the “goal of the century,” in 2002 by online voters on Fifa.com. His legacy will always be remembered by fans.
Number three, Paolo Maldini
Image of Paulo Maldini (left) in 1994, from Wikipedia.
Paolo Maldini, played for Italy in the 1990, 1994, 1998 and the 2002 World Cup has made 23 appearances. However, he has not won a World Cup in his career. During his first appearance in 1990, he appeared in all of the seven matches for Italy.
He retired from the tournament in 2002, and he left gracefully as a player who played the most minutes in the World Cup. He is currently 54-years-old and has expressed that he would never join the coaching career.
Number two, Miroslav Klose
Image of Miroslav Klose, from Wikipedia.
Miroslav Klose, who is another German on the list who has the record of the most goal scorer for the World Cup. He was well known for his hat-tricks and shocked fans with his 2002 debut where Germany scored 8-0 against Saudi Arabia.
He managed to make his record goal in the last World Cup he played in which is the 2014 World Cup. Germany had a remarkable 7-1 score against Brazil. His record 16th goal was scored during this tournament.
After playing for the World Cup, he started managing Bayern Munich but left the club in 2021. However, it was announced that he would manage the Austrian Bundesliga club Rheindorf Altach.
Number one, Lothar Matthäus
Image of Lothar Matthäus in 1995, from Wikipedia.
Lothar Matthäus, the third German player on this list and is known as the longevity king. He participated in the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups. This made him participate in the most tournaments ever at a whopping 25 appearances.
Matthäus led Germany (then West Germany) to World Cup victory in 1990. The captain played every minute of Germany’s successful campaign, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals.
He is now 61-years-old and has had a career as a columnist and a TV pundit. Even Maradona admitted that Lothar was one of the greatest rivals he ever had during the tournament.
Pelé has died of multiple organ failure and this was confirmed as the cause of death for the 82-year-old legend of football, who had battled colon cancer throughout his life.
Sent to the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paolo, since Christmas, he was surrounded by his family and passed last night.
Pele was accompanied by his family on Christmas Eve after being transferred to palliative care earlier in December after his body stopped responding to initial cancer treatment.
Following the death of the man many consider to be the greatest footballer of all time, tributes have poured in from a slew of sporting icons, clubs, and organisations.
Ronaldo, the legendary striker who followed in the footsteps of the three-time World Cup winner, believes Pele’s impact will never fade.
The world has just lost a gem of football but also a gentleman who brought his magic with the ball to the world and mesmerized crowds, if not the entire world, with his magical skills.
Pelé – Highlights of his career
He was one of the most successful and popular sports figures of the twentieth century, regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and dubbed “the greatest” by FIFA.
In 1999, the International Olympic Committee named him Athlete of the Century, and he was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people of the twentieth century.
Pelé was named World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) in 2000, and he was also named FIFA Player of the Century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, including friendlies, is a Guinness World Record.
Pelé the GOAT of Football
Pelé, who averaged nearly a goal per game throughout his career, was skilled at striking the ball with either foot and anticipating his opponents’ movements on the field.
While primarily a striker, he could also drop deep and playmaker, providing assists with his vision and passing ability, as well as going past opponents with his dribbling skills.
In Brazil, he was hailed as a national hero for his football achievements and outspoken support for policies that improve the social conditions of the poor. His breakthrough at the 1958 World Cup, where he became the first black global sporting star, served as an inspiration.
Pelé received numerous individual awards throughout his career and after his retirement.
