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Representing your country in a World Cup is often seen as a major honour in a footballer's career, and very few players ever get the experience of lifting the World Cup trophy.
The 2018 World Cup, which begins next week, will showcase some of the finest talent ever seen in the tournament, but for some of the players, it may well be their last shot at World Cup glory.
While winning the World Cup is the greatest moment of a footballer's career, the tournament can also be a cruel stage on which to bow out. Just ask Zinedine Zidane.
A lot of the players on this list are not likely to be hanging up their international boots straight after the World Cup in Russia but given their age, it seems highly likely that it will be the last time they will get a chance at winning the World Cup as a player.
Of course, some footballers continue to defy age and may make one final appearance in Qatar but given their current circumstances, these are 10 players who will probably be making their final World Cup appearance in Russia.
#10 Jamie Vardy (England)
Jamie Vardy's fairytale rise to the top of English football has been one of football's best stories in recent years and the former Fleetwood striker's story will be complete when he plays for England in the World Cup this Summer.
Vardy feels like a classic English player through and through, and his laddish charm has made him something of a cult hero in England.
Sadly, for Vardy, Russia is likely to be his only World Cup appearance for the Three Lions, with the Leicester City striker making his World Cup debut at the age of 31.
While Vardy may still be prolific in the Premier League, it seems unlikely he will still be able to perform so well at such a level in four years time, and as a result, it seems unlikely that he will be on the plane to Qatar in 2022.
#9 Mario Gomez (Germany)
After initial speculation that he may not be included in Joachin Low's squad for the World Cup, Mario Gomez was confirmed as a member of the German squad this past week.
Germany's all-time top goal-scorer in the European Championships may not be in Low's starting 11 in Russia but he will be happy that he made the squad after not being a part of the 2014 World Cup winning squad.
While Gomez may not be the star of the Germany team, he has always been on hand to help out with vital goals when they are needed but with the former Bayern Munich star now at the age of 32, it seems unlikely we will be seeing him play for Germany in a World Cup again.
#8 Thiago Silva (Brazil)
The 33-year-old defender tasked with captaining Brazil in the 2014 World Cup, Thiago Silva will be out to end his World Cup career with a bang in Russia.
After being an unused substitute in 2010 and then leading the team in an ultimately humiliating campaign in 2014, Thiago Silva will be hoping to end his last World Cup holding the trophy this year, and a quick look at Brazil's squad tells you that that is a very realistic possibility.
Now 33, Thiago Silva continues to defy the years, having made 38 appearances for Paris St Germain this season, but it seems unlikely he will be able to do that when he is 37 years old in Qatar.
#7 Tim Cahill (Australia)
Talk about a veteran. Tim Cahill, the 38-year-old ex-Everton star was announced as part of the Australian squad this past week and frankly, it's not really that much of a surprise.
Cahill has been the star of the Australian squad for years, and while it is unlikely that the Socceroos will come away with anything other than a token victory, Cahill will be hoping he can help mount a challenge for the round of 16 against group rivals Denmark and Peru.
Cahill spent the second half of this season back at Millwall, in the Championship, and was released by the club at the end of the season. Cahill has continued to defy the years though, and there is every chance he may spend one last year in Australia before officially announcing his retirement from football.
#6 Gerard Pique (Spain)
If some Spanish fans had their way, Gerard Pique wouldn't be playing for Spain in the World Cup this summer. Despite winning La Liga in comfortable fashion, and proving himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world, Pique has become an unpopular figure in Spain due to his support for the Catalonian Independence movement.
Regardless of his political stance and how that situation develops over the next four years, it seems unlikely that Pique, who is 31 years old now, will be lining up for Spain come the next World Cup. Pique is not the only one of Spain's World Cup-winning team from 2010 who is likely to make their last World Cup appearance in Russia though, as we will see as this list goes on.
Realistically, this is Pique's last chance of adding to his two European Championships and one World Cup won with his country.
#5 Vincent Kompany (Belgium)
When he's not injured, Vincent Kompany has been one of the key components to Manchester City's success in recent years, and he will be hoping to replicate that as he fights for fitness for Russia.
Kompany was named in Martinez's squad for the tournament, despite picking up an injury in a friendly against Portugal last week.
Martinez sighted Kompany's leadership qualities as a key reason he wants him in Russia, and Belgium fans will be hoping to see him make a brief appearance, at the very least.
Many pundits have argued that this is Belgium's last chance of success with their current 'golden generation' and they may be right. Kompany is 32 years old now, and given how injury prone he has been throughout his career, it seems unlikely we will be seeing him in a World Cup again after Russia.
#4 Sergio Ramos
It would have been easy to place a lot of the players on the Spanish squad on this list. We have already had Gerard Pique make an appearance, and the tournament is also going to be the last time we see either David Silva or Iniesta represent their country on the grandest stage in football.
The loss of Sergio Ramos, the team's captain and all-time outfield appearance record holder will be a major blow for them though, especially as the pairing of Ramos and Pique is almost definitely going to be gone come 2022.
The Real Madrid star has had a solid season for Los Blancos, one topped off with a controversial performance in the Champions League final against Liverpool, and he will be hoping to bow out of the World Cup lifting a trophy above his head as well.
#3 Luis Suarez (Uruguay)
What would a World Cup be without a spot of controversy from Luis Suarez? A moment of madness from the Uruguayan has become a staple of the modern game, and Russia will likely be his last chance to grab the headlines in a World Cup.
Suarez has had an outstanding season at Barcelona. Scoring 31 for the team in a season where they only lost one game, but it seems unlikely he will still be doing the same thing in four years time.
While Suarez is showing no real signs of ageing, he will be 35 by the time the World Cup in Qatar rolls around, and it seems unlikely that he will still be in the spotlight come then.
If this is to be Suarez's last World Cup, expect him to bow out with some sort of outrageous decision.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Despite being 33 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo is still one of the two best footballers on the planet, and his presence will be missed whenever he does inevitably hang up his boots.
Real Madrid suffered a poor season in La Liga due to a bad start, but Ronaldo has still continued to shine for Los Blancos throughout the campaign, especially in the Champions League.
That being said, Ronaldo will be 37 by the time the next World Cup rolls around and while, if anyone can defy ageing, it is Ronaldo, it seems likely that Russia will be the last time we see him at a World Cup.
Ronaldo has not delivered in the World Cup in the way that many would expect from him, and despite winning the Euros in 2016, Portugal are still not among the favourites in Russia. Ronaldo will be hoping to go out with a bang though, and you can expect a few show-stealing performances from him throughout the tournament.
#1 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, like Cristiano Ronaldo, is often considered as the greatest player of his generation. Despite his unrivalled success at club level, Messi has never managed to bag any major silverware for Argentina, coming up short in the 2014 World Cup final and losing in three Copa America finals.
In the eyes of many fans, to really cement his status as the best of all time, alongside the likes of Pele and Maradona, Messi needs to win a major international trophy, and given Argentina's extremely questionable form, it seems unlikely to happen in Russia.
Messi is currently 30 years old, which means he will be 34 by the time the next tournament rolls around in Qatar. While Messi's ability has really not declined with age, it seems unlikely he will be playing for Argentina by then.
Messi briefly retired from the Argentinian team in 2016, following a Copa America final defeat and many fans feel that he will be hanging up his international shirt at the end of the upcoming tournament, whether they win it or not.
