The "Twilight of the Gods" World Cup, postponed by four years.

By Han Bing. In 2022, the 37-year-old Ronaldo and the 35-year-old Messi both stated before the World Cup that Qatar would be the last stop of their respective "World Cup tours." When the story in the Persian Gulf ended, we bid farewell to Benzema, Bale, Di Maria, Suarez, Muller, Hazard... but Ronaldo and Messi both broke their promises.

Four years later, the 41-year-old Ronaldo and the soon-to-be 39-year-old Messi make a "return engagement." The "World Cup Twilight of the Gods," as the media called it, has been postponed. This time, the names that will say goodbye together probably include Modric, Neuer, van Dijk, De Bruyne, Neymar, Salah...

Times change rapidly, four years pass in the blink of an eye. Nowadays, a picture of Messi and Ronaldo together no longer requires a luxury brand's hefty invitation; ordinary fans can fulfill their dreams with one click using "foolproof AI." There are always young people in football, but bidding farewell to a memory that spans twenty years and six World Cups still requires a bit of ceremony.

Four years ago, Ronaldo began his desert journey with the explosive plot of his breakup with Manchester United. The controversy after being excluded from Portugal's starting lineup for the first time in 14 years in the round of 16, and his tears after being eliminated by the biggest dark horse Morocco in the quarterfinals, led the outside world to think that the 37-year-old Ronaldo would end his World Cup career with regret. Just as when the Portuguese later started another desert journey, no one expected that he would not fulfill his Saudi championship dream until this year; at that time, perhaps not many people believed that this 41-year-old "stubborn old man" could still pursue his dream in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Meanwhile, Messi, who had already fulfilled his dream, also chose to embark on his sixth World Cup journey. Starting from the last World Cup qualifiers, the Argentine repeatedly expressed to the camera that Qatar would be his World Cup farewell performance. Yet after lifting the trophy, he left Europe for North America, which seemed somewhat intriguing. If at the beginning of his move from Doha Beach to Miami Beach, it was more about the Americans' need for him to play in another World Cup than his personal desire, then last year's contract extension showed that Messi himself made the decision. After all, he will turn 39 in just one month—still young enough to fight.

It must be admitted that although countless fans still hold on, the club era of Messi and Ronaldo ended when they left the top five leagues. However, the USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup will be their best farewell performance to once again attract the world's attention. Even for non-fans of Messi and Ronaldo, witnessing the final performances of the two greatest footballers of this era on the World Cup stage is one of the biggest significances of the 2026 World Cup for the world.

Besides Messi and Ronaldo, also making a final push is Neymar, who held the title of "world's third best player" for the longest time. As a superstar who was originally most expected to usher in a new era after Messi and Ronaldo, now even making the "last train" to the World Cup is controversial, which is truly regrettable.

Compared to the strong Portuguese team and the defending champion Argentina, this Brazilian team is hard to inspire much hope. We can only hope that Neymar can deliver a satisfactory performance on his final stage for the fans who have supported him all along.

At the Qatar World Cup four years ago, the oldest outfield player was 39-year-old Canadian midfielder Atiba Hutchinson. In this World Cup, outfield players aged 40 or above currently include at least Dzeko, Modric, and Ronaldo, all of whom are midfielders or forwards. This shows how, with the help of high technology, football gods have extended their careers to the extreme for the dream of the World Cup.

In addition, this World Cup also features many legends whose careers are already in their twilight.

The 32-year-old Harry Kane has reached his career peak at Bayern Munich, but essentially this is his best and final World Cup. Given the abundance of talent in the Three Lions, a 36-year-old Kane would likely find it hard to get another chance four years later.

Most of the smaller teams that can hardly dream of the World Cup trophy also have their own star players representing an era, who are now aging. This summer, Mohamed Salah bid farewell to Liverpool and is about to leave the top five leagues; James Rodriguez and Son Heung-min are already "retiring" in the MLS; top defenders like van Dijk, Rudiger, and Alaba are also struggling with injuries and find it hard to continue for another four years. Their prime has passed, and this World Cup may be their last glory.

As for those superstars who rarely have the chance to consistently participate in the World Cup, just being on the World Cup stage is already an achievement. Dzeko returns to the World Cup after 12 years, waiting from age 28 to 40. Salah also waited eight years, and his return to the World Cup comes at the twilight of his career. For Alaba, Bacca, Arnautovic, Calhanoglu, and even the 43-year-old goalkeeper Gordon, their World Cup debut is also their farewell match, which is even more poignant.

There are also those players who, for the sake of achieving a historic breakthrough for their teams in the World Cup, have persisted until they are over 35: Witsel, Perisic, Xhaka, Ochoa, Taremi, Nagatomo, Taniguchi, Endo, as well as older naturalized players like Mahrez, Miguel, Mendes, Housni, Hatem, and Boudiaf. They are all chasing their dreams.

Whether for Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, or the many legends belonging to this generation of fans, the USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup will be their final sparkle in the starry sky of the World Cup. Cherish it while you watch.