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The teams participating in this World Cup also include many world football stars. Argentina's Lionel Messi, Portugal's Cristian Ronaldo, France's Kylian Mbappe, etc. They compete to strengthen their respective national teams.
Nonetheless, the above names are not among the World Cup's most capped players. This is because there are many names that refer to themselves. Below is a list of the footballers who have played the most in the World Cup, as quoted from the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).
1. Lothar Matthew
Lothar Matthaus is a legendary German international who has been named the most appearances player in the history of the World Cup. This was achieved after he made five consecutive World Cup appearances in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998.
According to Opta analysts, Matthäus has made 25 appearances and scored six goals. In fact, Matthaus led the German national team to victory in his 1990 World Cup. At the time, he was the captain of the national team, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final. After this World Cup victory, Matthaus was awarded the Ballon d'Or. In 1991, he was named the world's best player by FIFA and was the only German to win this award.
2. Miroslav Klose The player with the most appearances at the next World Cup is Germany forward Miroslav Klose. He has appeared in his 24 matches in his four different editions of the World Cup namely his 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 editions.
Klose is one of the top goalscorers in the World Cup, scoring 16 in the final. In total, 16 goals came from just 63 shots he made. This is a staggering record, with 25.4% of his recordings converted in his four editions in which he participated.
3. Paolo Maldini
According to Olympics.com, Paolo's Maldini is one of the most played players who have never lifted a trophy. He made his four appearances for the Italian national team, making 23 appearances. Maldini he played in the 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups and his best performances were he was a finalist in the 1994 USA and Italy at his World Cup held in Italy. was his third.
4. Diego Maradona
Diego his Maradona is an Argentine legend, in 1982, 1990, 1986 and 1994 he scored eight goals in four different editions in 21 World Cup appearances. In the 1986 Mexico World Cup, Diego Maradona led Argentina to the World Cup trophy. At the time, Argentina were ahead of Germany by three points.2.
Maradona's influence on the country's success in the 1986 World Cup is undeniable. So far, he is the only player in World Cup history to have scored and assisted at least five times in a single competition.He has also scored three different goals, along with Lionel Messi and Gabriel Batistuta. He is also one of his three Argentinian players to score goals in the World Cup.
5. Uwe Sheeler
Uwe Sellar is the third German in the list of players with the most World Cup appearances. He played in his 21 games in his four editions of the World Cup namely the 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970 editions.
Sellar was the first player to appear in 21 World Cup games and the first to score in four World Cups. Additionally, with 1,980 minutes, he is third behind Paolo Maldini and Lothar Matthaus in total World Cup appearances.