Big 3 (Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo) on 2026 World Cup

[alko]

Will we see them again?

Neymar is 30 years old (soon 31) but there were rumors, he want to quit Brasil national team.
Messi is 35 years old. In 4 years he will be 39. Will he be still so good?
Ronaldo - 37. Uf, to play as a 41 years old guy on World Cup. But he is a freak with iron attitude to football. There are good young forwards from Portugal, but still. If he will be fit and in form...

Click to read more...

 

[HofT]

Both Messi and Ronaldo have claimed Qatar 2022 would be their last World Cup.

Neymar however has denied that this was his last World Cup and if all goes well he should be expected to play in 2026.

 

[Corto]

Will we see them again?

Neymar is 30 years old (soon 31) but there were rumors, he want to quit Brasil national team.
Messi is 35 years old. In 4 years he will be 39. Will he be still so good?
Ronaldo - 37. Uf, to play as a 41 years old guy on World Cup. But he is a freak with iron attitude to football. There are good young forwards from Portugal, but still. If he will be fit and in form...

Neymar maybe, probably. In a reduced role.


Ronaldo is done, I'm not even sure he even sticks around for the NL Final Four.
Messi... Unlikely... 39 is pretty damn old for a footballer. But I dunno, maybe they make a new rule and Argentina straight out starts 1-0 up if Messi is playing instead of the theatre and iffy pens going their way (yes, I'm salty).

 

[Shrimper]

Neymar will be there

Messi will retire from ITL before then

Ronaldo will retire completely

 

[maclean]

Ronaldo will not be playing meaningful football for the next four years, so it's hard to imagine him playing even if he wanted to. He would absolutely not be starting, so in a theoretical situation it's possible to imagine him in a kind of cheerleader role, maybe coming on for some final minutes, but I feel like he's burned too many bridges even for that, and the team would definitely do better to move on.

Messi managed to get what he wanted and needed in what he said would be his last cup, so why would he come back? The answer is because humans are never satisfied and the draw of trying for a repeat could become too much. I'm not saying I think he will do it, but there will definitely be lots of pressure from many sides trying to convince him to go again.

Neymar - Even though he ended up making it back, the injury at this year's tournament will have left him feeling like he wanted to do more. Injuries have been an issue for him, so they may continue to play a role, but he still needs his WC win, so he will definitely want to be there.

 

[Overrated]

Will we see them again?

Neymar is 30 years old (soon 31) but there were rumors, he want to quit Brasil national team.
Messi is 35 years old. In 4 years he will be 39. Will he be still so good?
Ronaldo - 37. Uf, to play as a 41 years old guy on World Cup. But he is a freak with iron attitude to football. There are good young forwards from Portugal, but still. If he will be fit and in form...

we won't see any of them

Football unlike hockey is almost entirely just about speed, age affects the players more. Neymar could be there but he is not a hard worker he won't age well imo. CR7 was getting benched at 37 he won't make the team at 41. Messi is the most likely one imo but even there I doubt he will play the next WC.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Whether or not Neymar plays another is up to Neymar, and honestly I think he will. He's about to be Brazil's all-time top scorer, but never gets talked about in that upper echelon of Brazilian greats. I think he feels like he needs the WC to put respect on his name.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

Neymar will likely play the next one, I don't think Messi or CR make it

 

[Bon Esprit]

we won't see any of them

Football unlike hockey is almost entirely just about speed, age affects the players more. Neymar could be there but he is not a hard worker he won't age well imo. CR7 was getting benched at 37 he won't make the team at 41. Messi is the most likely one imo but even there I doubt he will play the next WC.

If Messi is smart, he will retire from NT. He just brought Argentina the WC.
It's better fans say "Imagine Messi was be still on the team" than "he should have retired years ago".

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

There's only the big one and I think he will be there in 2026

If Messi is smart, he will retire from NT. He just brought Argentina the WC.
It's better fans say "Imagine Messi was be still on the team" than "he should have retired years ago".

No he should stayed at least for the next copa which isnt long and he woudl still mostly likely be the best player in the world.

 

[Maestro84]

Neymar might but it depends on his health and desire in 4 years. 34 is not old at all anymore with Messi and Benzema both winning Ballon D'Or at age 34 these past two season.

Messi I can't see him coming back after such a glorious win, there's no better way to leave than when you're at the top.

Ronaldo....I'd be shocked if he was still an active player in any league including the MLS or Saudi League. He'll be ancient at 41 but I guess you never know with CR7 count him out at your own risk

If I had to bet, only Neymar is back for 2026

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Think Messi will be there for the next Copa and call it quits on international football after that.

Ronaldo? Maybe the Euros (maybe at best, that is) but absolutely no chance he's selected for the next WC. He's already coming off the bench and allegedly a PIA now, what is he going to be in 4 years?

I see no reason why Neymar isn't on Brazil's next WC team unless he himself doesn't want to be.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Ronaldo's done 100%. I don't think Portugal even really wants him around. I don't think he'll be at the Euros either.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Ronaldo's done 100%. I don't think Portugal even really wants him around. I don't think he'll be at the Euros either.

They were better without him at the WC, though it is a small sample size.

 

[bluesfan94]

Ronaldo - 37. Uf, to play as a 41 years old guy on World Cup. But he is a freak with iron attitude to football. There are good young forwards from Portugal, but still. If he will be fit and in form...

He's supposedly going to Saudi Arabia now. He's not going to be in form

 

[robertmac43]

I think Neymar will be the only one from this lot. Messi will go out a winner so there is no point in coming back.

 

[BMann]

I think Neymar will be the only one from this lot. Messi will go out a winner so there is no point in coming back.

Leo may well stick around depending on his fitness and sharpness. He is still sharp. If he is around in the next cycle who is to say. Scaloni said he is welcome to do so. Modric did not do too badly at 37 using his IQ.

 

[NotCommitted]

Football unlike hockey is almost entirely just about speed, age affects the players more. Neymar could be there but he is not a hard worker he won't age well imo. CR7 was getting benched at 37 he won't make the team at 41. Messi is the most likely one imo but even there I doubt he will play the next WC.

I don't think a few elite talents who have managed to stay effective at hockey into their late 30s or early 40s actually mean hockey players as a rule can be good until their late 30s. Most can't, it's usually only the best who manage to do that and even they usually need to change their game.

I think bigger problem than speed (depending on role somewhat) for soccer players is minutes can't be limited, if you want to be a starter, you'll need to be able to play at high level for at least 60-70 minutes. Some older players can still be great subs for the last 30 min of the game, but I'm sure many will rather just call it quits than sit on the bench for most part. A hockey player can gracefully go from a 1st line player into a middle-six or even a 4th line veteran guy as they get older which makes it easier to extend your career. Also the bench is different, if you play 10 minutes a game in hockey, you're still an integral part of the team, while in soccer a sub is mostly just sitting there and not part of the game at all, for most veteran players that's not an exciting proposition.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

I think Neymar will be the only one from this lot. Messi will go out a winner so there is no point in coming back.

Next WC is in North America, if he plays in MLS by then, he might play.

 

[Overrated]

I don't think a few elite talents who have managed to stay effective at hockey into their late 30s or early 40s actually mean hockey players as a rule can be good until their late 30s. Most can't, it's usually only the best who manage to do that and even they usually need to change their game.

I think bigger problem than speed (depending on role somewhat) for soccer players is minutes can't be limited, if you want to be a starter, you'll need to be able to play at high level for at least 60-70 minutes. Some older players can still be great subs for the last 30 min of the game, but I'm sure many will rather just call it quits than sit on the bench for most part. A hockey player can gracefully go from a 1st line player into a middle-six or even a 4th line veteran guy as they get older which makes it easier to extend your career. Also the bench is different, if you play 10 minutes a game in hockey, you're still an integral part of the team, while in soccer a sub is mostly just sitting there and not part of the game at all, for most veteran players that's not an exciting proposition.

Well the vast majority of NHL superstars played at a very high level even post-35. Richard, Howe, Beliveau, Hull, Esposito. Even Gretzky who didn't age as well was still a PPG player in the middle of the dead puck era while on not a very great team. Mario, despite his health issues still played good at 40. Yzerman, Selanne, Sakic. Jagr of course. Sure average players don't last very long in the league but it seems to me that up to a certain degree you can make up for your lack of speed with strength.