The combined number of World Cup matches played by the top three South American players stands at 67. Lionel Messi leads the tally with 26 matches, followed by Diego Maradona with 21, while Cafu and Javier Mascherano (20 each) jointly hold third place. Meanwhile, Europe’s top three players in this regard are Lothar Matthaus (25 matches), Miroslav Klose (24), and Paolo Maldini (23), with a combined total of 72 matches.

** Visit The Daily Star’s website to also read: ‘Battle for the golden trophy: All you need to know’.