The dream of practically every professional football player is to be able to play in a World Cup. The tournament, organized by FIFA, is considered the most important of the most popular sport on the planet. But, when reaching a certain age, it becomes practically impossible for certain athletes to have the hope of still defending the national team four years later.
The normal thing is that, after the age of 35, players are not often remembered by national team coaches. In Brazil, it is no different. Two highly respected athletes abroad and older than the age mentioned above, may be saying goodbye to the national team and should probably play their last Cups in Qatar, between November and December of this year.
Daniel Alves and Thiago Silva should compete in their last World Cups
Right-back Daniel Alves of Barcelona and defender Thiago Silva of Chelsea are 39 and 37 years old respectively. This leads one to believe that the Qatar Cup will be the last of these two great players. That’s because, in 2026, at the next World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico, these two stars will already be 43 (Dani) and 41 (Thiago) years old.
It is extremely rare, especially for outfield players, to continue defending their national teams at such an advanced age. Despite all this, they are still putting on great football with two giant teams in international football. This justifies the recent call-ups by coach Tite.
About Daniel Alves
Daniel Alves started his career at Bahia in 2001. He played for Sevilla, Barcelona, Juventus, PSG and São Paulo, between 2002 and 2021, before returning to the Catalan club last year. With more than 40 titles won in his career, Dani is considered the most decorated player in football history.
Ver essa foto no Instagram
He has already featured in 124 games for the Brazilian national team, scoring eight goals. He defended the Blue and Yellow in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups until now. In the last edition of the World Cup, he missed out at the last minute due to an injury.
About Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva was revealed by RS Futebol, in 2003, but stood out, in national football, by Fluminense (between 2006 and 2008). After defending the Rio de Janeiro club, the defender passed through the giants Milan, PSG and Chelsea – where he has been since 2020.
Ver essa foto no Instagram
The captain of Brazil in the last two World Cups has featured in 107 games for the national team, scoring seven goals. He was also called up to the 2010 World Cup.
Other players who may be saying goodbye to the Cup
Daniel and Thiago are practically guaranteed cases of players who should say goodbye to the national team after the World Cup at the end of this year. But other players who are over 30 years old are also not guaranteed a presence in the next edition of this competition.
The team’s own star, Neymar (30 years old), has recently said that he does not know if he will be present at the 2026 World Cup. Let’s take a look at players who could miss out on the next World Cup.
- Weverton (Palmeiras goalkeeper): 34 years old;
- Danilo (Juventus full-back): 30 years old;
- Alex Sandro (Juventus full-back): 31 years old;
- Casemiro (Real Madrid midfielder): 30 years old;
- Philippe Coutinho (Aston Villa midfielder): 30 years old;
- Neymar (PSG forward): 30 years old;
- Roberto Firmino (Liverpool striker): 30 years old.
About the Qatar World Cup
The 2022 World Cup will be played in Qatar between November 21 and December 18 this year. Thirty-two teams are chasing the title in the first time the tournament is hosted in the Middle East.
Brazil will be in group G of the competition, along with Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon. The team’s debut is scheduled for November 24, against the Serbs.
