‘So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their ending.” These are the words of prolific author JRR Tolkien, who scribed the iconic Lord of the Rings, as well as the Hobbit.

The quote perfectly describes one of the storylines that will dominate headlines during the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. A handful of iconic footballers are on their last legs and this may very well be their final World Cup.

Topping the list are none other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – two of the most iconic footballers in the past two decades – who also happen to be in the upper echelons in the debate about the greatest athletes of all time.

As Tolkien suggests, football, much like life, is defined by cycles. When one era ends, another begins. With Ronaldo, Messi and others likely signing out in 2022, another batch of future football greats will be playing in their maiden World Cup – starlets such as Barcelona and Spain’s 19-year-old midfielder, Pedri, Englishman Bukayo Saka and in-demand Borussia Dortmund midfield magician Jude Bellingham.    

Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund runs with the ball against Borussia Mönchengladbach in Moenchengladbach, Germany, on 11 November 2022, (Photo: Christof Koepsel / Getty Images)

The old

Messi and Ronaldo have jointly ruled global football with an iron fist since 2008, when the latter, a polarising Portuguese forward, kick-started a game of Ballon d’Or hot potato between them.

The iconic duo has since won the coveted individual football award a combined 12 times, with Argentinian phenomenon Messi clinching it a record seven times, while friendly rival Ronaldo has five.

Cristiano Ronaldo has also hinted that this World Cup may be his last. (Photo: Gualter Fatia / Getty Images)

Their achievement is so fantastical and mind-boggling that it would fit perfectly into one of Tolkien’s countless classics. Yet, their powers have gradually waned and this World Cup will mark a further progression in this downward direction.

Messi is 35 and by the time the 2026 World Cup (co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US) comes around, the football anomaly will be 39. He has hinted that Qatar, his fifth World Cup, will be his last.

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“Surely, this will be my final World Cup,” Messi told ESPN.

“I’m counting down the days until the World Cup. The truth is, there’s a little anxiety, saying: ‘Well, we’re here, what’s going to happen? It’s my last one, how’s it going to go?’. On one hand, I can’t wait for it to begin. But I’m also desperate for it to go well.”

Winning the World Cup would further cement Messi’s already astonishing legacy as a sports great. It is the only major trophy he is yet to clinch.

Golden opportunity

Ronaldo too seeks football’s holy grail with Portugal. If the all-time leading goal scorer in international men’s football helps the Seleção das Quinas to the trophy, he will add yet another chapter dedicated to him in Portuguese and global football history. The European nation has never lifted the golden trophy.

Much like Messi, the 37-year-old Manchester United forward has also hinted that this World Cup may be his final one.  

Although, considering all his and Messi’s supernatural achievements throughout their careers, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see either trudge onto the field in walking sticks four years from now.

Other athletes have made similar statements about retirement in the past, only to backtrack later.

Meanwhile, one of the only two players to win the Ballon d’Or during the Messi and Ronaldo era of dominance (alongside Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema), Luka Modrić, has said he will call time on his international career after Qatar.

“I am aware that I am of a certain age and that this is my last competition in the Croatian national team,” the talented midfielder told Fifa+ recently.  

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The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner is joined by stalwarts such as Benzema, Barcelona and Poland forward Robert Lewandowski and Uruguay’s Luis Suárez on the list of players possibly playing in their final World Cup.

The same is true for Manuel Neuer, who won this competition with Germany in 2014 and is widely considered one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. The Bayern Munich shot-stopper will be 41 in 2026.

The new

While the Qatar World Cup is likely to bring down the curtain for the aforementioned superstars, some future stars will be appearing in their first World Cup.

Among them, Pedri joins the elite company of icons such as Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta in having represented both the Blaugrana and La Furia Roja.

Bukayo Saka on the attack for Arsenal against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 12 November 2022. (Photo: Harriet Lander / Getty Images)

Despite his young age, Pedri has already represented Spain 14 times. He was part of their Uefa Euro 2020 team and also played in the Olympics.

“It [the World Cup] doesn’t intimidate me much. It’s a dream for me and being here is really crazy. I face it with great enthusiasm, like the European Championships or the Olympic Games,” the fleet-footed midfielder said recently.

Other players in line to make their World Cup debuts include the exciting English trio of Saka, Bellingham and Manchester City’s Phil Foden.

All three have the potential to engrave their names among the greatest players of their generation in the distant future. Though they’ve laid a solid foundation for this endeavour at club level, memorable performances in Qatar will add to their aura of awesomeness.

Read in Daily Maverick: “Qatar World Cup — the most polarising football showpiece to date?”

Of course, if their individual brilliance can propel England to only their second World Cup success, the first since they clinched it on home soil in 1966, they will forever be chiselled into football folklore, even at their tender age.

Also making his World Cup debut in 2022 is 22-year-old Real Madrid attacker Vinícius Júnior, who won the Champions League for his club last season, scoring the only goal in the final versus Liverpool.

Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Manchester United against Aston Villa in Birmingham on 6 November 2022. (Photo: James Gill / Getty Images)

Can he be instrumental for World Cup favourites Brazil as they eye a record-extending sixth World Cup crown? Time will tell.

Meanwhile, Canadian left-back Alphonso Davies will also take a bow at the tournament. He was integral as his country qualified for its first World Cup since 1986. The Bayern Munich defender (who was probably a cheetah in a previous life) is known for his blistering pace and great defending.

In a tough group alongside Belgium, Morocco and Croatia, the North Americans will look to 22-year-old Davis for inspiration once more. DM