When the curtain falls on the 2026 World Cup we will have a champion, but what will be the future of some of the great stars that currently illuminate the football galaxy will remain unknown.
For now, stars like James Rodríguez, perhaps the best player in the history of Colombian football, announced his retirement from active practice after the World Cup.
Unlike James, who is only 34 years old, there are other super idols who are over 40 years old or around that age, such as the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and the Argentine Lionel Messi, respectively, who are not only insurmountable aces, but also have a power of attraction like perhaps never before.
Messi and Ronaldo are of age to hang up their boots, but that decision will surely not be made exclusively by themselves due to the extraordinary interests that both represent.
These details, which are not minor, will decisively influence the retirement date of the Argentine and the Portuguese, who delegate the management of the commercial part to large conglomerates.
As long as they are both active, journalism and social networks will talk about them and will keep them at the top of platforms around the world.
The sporting rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo will intensify with each performance, with each play and each goal and that will be another incentive for fans to buy more t-shirts, souvenirs and memorabilia of their favorite idols.
For his part, Luka Modric is a special case; Due to his friendliness, humility, class and performance, he is one of the most beloved players today.
The fact that he has played for so long in an institution of global prestige like Real Madrid allows the Croatian captain to be recognized throughout the planet.
In any case, Modric does not represent a gold mine in what he produces on and off the field if we compare him with Messi and Ronaldo; Therefore, the determination of your retirement will remain entirely in your hands.
This is also the case of Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa, with a brilliant career and like Messi and Ronaldo, he will go for his sixth World Cup, to break the record of his compatriot, the legendary Antonio “Cinco Copas” Carvajal, who was always a reference in Aztec football for having saved in five World Cups, between Brazil 1950 and England 1966.
For the rest, the fame of “Memo” Ochoa is limited only to Mexican fans, but beyond his own it does not have an impact that transcends that limit.
Other players like Bosnia and Herzegobia’s Edi Dzeko and Cape Verde’s Voziha will have the satisfaction of being celebrated in their own countries as sporting heroes, but little will happen to either of them outside their borders.
It is likely that FIFA will pay them some tribute, but in the commercial-sports field nothing will happen.
This is not the case of Messi and Ronaldo, who despite the discounts being played on the fields still have a lot of thread to cut in their commercial bags.
Goodbye to football
name Country Age birth League
Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal 41 05-02-1985 Saudi Pro
Guillermo Ochoa Mexico 40 07-13-1985 Cyprus 1st division
Luka Modric Croatia 40 09-09-1985 Serie A Italy
Edi Dzeko Bosnia & H 40 03-17-1986 Bundesliga 2
Vozinha Cape Verde 39 03-06-1986 Portuguese first
Lionel Messi Argentina 38 06-24-1987 MLS
James Rodríguez, Colombia 34 07-12-1991 MLS
