FIFA World Cup Records That Are Under Real Threat
The 2018 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner, with focus drawing to it from across the globe following the climax of an epic 2017-18 season.
In preparation for the event, we've leafed through the history books and identified eight World Cup records that are under serious threat this summer in Russia. They range from all-but-certain-to-be-smashed to potential long shots, but each is eminently possible.
Some are player-related, some team, and some are even as specific as certain sides meeting. For each record, we've displayed the current record at the top then explained who or which circumstances could break it below.
Oldest Player, Oldest Captain, Oldest Debut
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Oldest player: Faryd Mondragon, Colombia (43 years, 3 days)
Oldest captain: Peter Shilton, England (40 years, 292 days)
Oldest player to debut: David James, England (39 years, 321 days)
Essam El-Hadary, Egypt's 45-year-old goalkeeper, is set to start for his nation this summer. The minute the first whistle goes with him stood between the sticks, he'll break three records.
It's Egypt's first World Cup since 1994, so understandably none of the current crop have ever played at a finals before. He'll be the oldest debutant as a result of that, then also the oldest player and the oldest captain, given he leads The Pharaohs out.
Most Tournaments Captained
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Most tournaments captained: Rafael Marquez, Mexico (4)
There's a chance Rafael Marquez breaks one of his own records this summer. Things will have to fall the right way for him to do so, though.
He's been named in Mexico's squad despite fears that a link to a drug trafficking incident in 2017 would rule him out, per the Guardian. There could yet prove to be a twist in this tale, but as far as El Tri are concerned, he's going.
It would be his fifth tournament, and if he were to be given the armband (current captain Andres Guardado is an injury concern), it would be his fifth as captain. Even if Guardado is fit, manager Juan Carlos Osorio might hand him the captaincy anyway.
Most Players Sent to a Tournament
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Most players sent to a FIFA World Cup: 15 by Arsenal (2006)
Injuries allowing, Manchester City are set to send a record number of players to a FIFA World Cup, totalling a whopping 17.
It beats Arsenal's 2006 record of 15, which has stood for over a decade, as Pep Guardiola's incredibly successful charges swarm to Russia to chase national glory.
They have four in each of Brazil (Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus, Danilo and Ederson) and England's (Kyle Walker, Fabian Delph, Raheem Sterling, John Stones) squads, two in each of Argentina (Nicolas Otamendi, Sergio Aguero), Germany (Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane) and Belgium's (Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany), and one each in Spain (David Silva), Portugal (Bernardo Silva) and France's (Benjamin Mendy).
A Player in Every Group
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There's no current record for this, as it's a genuine first: So long as no one pulls out due to injury, Barcelona will be the first club to send at least one player to each of the eight FIFA World Cup groups in Russia.
The distribution is as follows:
Group A: Luis Suarez (Uruguay)
Group B: Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba (all Spain)
Group C: Samuel Umtiti, Ousmane Dembele (both France)
Group D: Lionel Messi (Argentina), Ivan Rakitic (Croatia)
Group E: Philippe Coutinho, Paulinho (both Brazil)
Group F: Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany)
Group G: Thomas Vermaelen (Belgium)
Group H: Yerry Mina (Colombia)
Most Clean Sheets
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Most clean sheets kept: 10 (Peter Shilton, England, 1982-90, and Fabian Barthez, France, 1998-2006)
If Germany's Manuel Neuer goes to the World Cup—and it is an if at this stage, given his fitness concerns—he stands a chance of breaking England legend Peter Shilton's clean sheet record, which has been matched by France's Fabian Barthez.
That stands at 10, while Neuer has clocked seven through the 2010 and 2014 editions so far. An imperious defensive performance in the group stages plus a trademark run to the final could yield the four he needs to claim the record for himself.
Most Penalty Shootouts Won
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Most shootouts won: 4 (Argentina and Germany)
If you meet Argentina or Germany in the knockout stages, you better dispense with them before it goes to penalties. Both sides have shown an ability to keep their nerve from 12 yards throughout history and have a habit of coming out victorious.
They're tied for the most shootout wins at finals with four each, and given both are expected to progress past the group stages with relative ease, there's every chance one (if not both) are subjected to spot-kicks later on.
One win for either would give them the outright record.
Most Meetings
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Most meetings: 7 (Brazil vs. Sweden, Germany vs. Argentina)
Some teams always seem to meet one another. You see it in domestic football, with an example being Barcelona always seeming to meet the same teams (Ajax, Celtic, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain) in the Champions League, and you see it in international football, too.
Sweden must be sick of the sight of Brazil by now. They've played seven times, with some of those matches ending in heavy defeats for the Scandinavians. One of them was in the 1958 World Cup final in their own capital city of Stockholm, where they lost 5-2.
Argentina and Germany have also met seven times, the latest of which was the most recent World Cup game—the 2014 final in Brazil. They count as old enemies now despite hailing from different continents.
The 2018 draw has opened up the distinct possibility of these teams meeting once again. If Brazil win their group and Sweden finish second in theirs, they'll face off, while if Argentina and Germany win their groups and advance to the semi-finals, they'll collide.
Most World Cup Goals
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Most World Cup goals: 16 (Miroslav Klose)
If you're backing Germany to go deep into this tournament—and many will tip them to win the entire thing—then it's possible Miroslav Klose's top-scorer status is under threat.
The Germany striker netted 16 across four tournaments, usurping Brazil's Ronaldo with a goal during Die Mannschaft's 7-1 rout of Brazil in the 2014 semi-finals.
But Thomas Muller, who played on the same team as him that day and scored five over the course of that tournament, will be eager to break that record.
He's on 10, so a whopping seven will be required for him to displace Klose. That's a lot, granted, but most World Cups have yielded a player who has scored at least six, and Muller's got a nice group and a nice potential round-of-16 match before things get tough. If he's slated for penalty duty again, it only enhances his chances.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
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