‘dream stage’ The World Cup made many players cry. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (37)’s tears were illuminated at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar because this was his last World Cup stage. In this World Cup, where strong teams suffered shock defeats, many veterans had to say farewell like Ronaldo.
Striker Eden Hazard (31, Real Madrid), who represents Belgium’s ‘golden generation’, left the stage bitterly at this World Cup without even being able to step into the round of 16. Belgium was eliminated in Group F with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. Hazard ended his 14-year career in the national team with this World Cup as his last.
Hazard first made his national team appearance in 2008 at the age of 17, playing 126 matches for his A-match and scoring 33 goals. In the 2014 Brazil tournament, his first World Cup, he played an active part until the quarterfinals against Argentina, and in the 2018 Brazil World Cup, he scored a key goal in the 3rd and 4th place matches against England, contributing to Belgium’s rise to the final 3rd place.
Hazard’s presence in Qatar this year was negligible despite being called the ace of Belgium’s golden generation. He failed to raise any offensive points, and in the final match against Croatia in the group stage, he came on as a substitute and played 3 minutes.
After being eliminated from the group stage, he posted on his SNS, “I turned a page today. I decided to finish my national team career. I will miss you,” he announced his retirement.
Uruguay’s representative central defender Diego Godin (36, Velez Sarsfield) and striker Edinson Cavani (35, Valencia) finished the World Cup, which was highly likely to be the last, in a bad way. Uruguay won 2-0 against Ghana in the final Group H match, but failed to advance to the round of 16 after being pushed by South Korea on goal difference.
After the match, Godin and other Uruguay players protested, saying the referee did not award a penalty kick unfairly. The emotions of the players intensified as Uruguay could advance to the round of 16 instead of South Korea if they scored just one more goal. The International Football Federation (FIFA) held a disciplinary committee after the match and announced that players who protested against the referee would be disciplined for ‘aggressive behavior and violation of fair play principles’.
Guillermo Ochoa (37, Club America), who participated in the most A-matches among Mexican goalkeepers, did not show as good a save as expected in this World Cup. Ochoa played in all three group stage matches wearing the captain’s armband, but failed to advance to the round of 16 by conceding two goals each against Argentina and Saudi Arabia. Mexico, which advanced to the round of 16 seven times in a row since the 1994 World Cup in the United States, was eliminated in the group stage for the first time in 28 years. 메이저놀이터
Ochoa, who first marked the national team in 2005, defended Mexico’s goal for 18 years and played his 5th World Cup stage, but only regrets were left.
Fortunately, there is no age limit for participating players in the World Cup. Egypt’s former national team goalkeeper Essam El Hadari became the oldest player to appear at the 2018 World Cup at the age of 45. I don’t know if Ochoa will dream of another hope.