Here we look at a five players that will look to bow out with grace on the biggest international stage:

Lionel Messi (age 38) - Argentina

Many thought that the Argentine maestro would call time on his international career when he led his country to the World Cup trophy in Qatar in 2022.

Messi, though, always stated that he wanted to play for his country as a world champion and captained Argentina to the Copa America title two years ago.

The gifted player, who now plays his club football in co-hosting country USA with Inter Miami, will look to take Argentina to glory once more in what will be his sixth World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo (age 41) - Portugal

The Portuguese superstar will also be playing in his sixth World Cup and will be confident that the cast behind him can help land their maiden title.

The Portugal squad is stacked with genuine quality and in Ronaldo they have one the leading goal-scorers of all-time.

While he obviously does not possess the pace when he was in his prime, Ronaldo is still one of the best when tasked with putting the ball in the back of the net.

Luka Modric (age 40) - Croatia

The dynamic midfielder was part of Croatia's team that suffered a defeat in the 2018 World Cup final and then led his country to a third-place finish in 2022.

Now set to appear in his fifth global campaign, Modric will be hoping the European country can repeat their past heroics to go out on a high.

Manuel Neuer (age 40) Germany

The goalkeeper retired from international football in 2024 but has reversed his decision in time to take part in his fourth World Cup.

Neuer was the first-choice shot-stopper when Germany were crowned world champions in Brazil in 2014 and will be looking to crown his career with more epic displays between the sticks.

Riyad Mahrez (age 35) Algeria

The mercurial left-footed player had already confirmed that the African Cup Nations earlier this year would be his last continental tournament for his country.

Mahrez will now look to lead the African side into the knockout stages of the World Cup, and will as always be key to his country's hopes.

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