The ‘survivors’ of the 2006 World Cup: the players still active in 2026

Twenty years is a long time in soccer - a career lifetime. Two decades on from the 2006 World Cup, the vast majority of the players who were at the tournament are no longer actively playing.

Some are still professionally involved - now working in management, as coaches, assistant coaches or sporting directors passing on their knowledge and experience to the new generation of players. Examples include: Zidane, Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Mascherano, Scaloni, Gabi Milito, Xabi Alonso, Cesc, Van Bronckhorst, Heinze, Cocu, Van Nistelrooy...

Others have branched out into other areas such as broadcasting (Gary Neville, Alessandro Del Piero, Thierry Henry, Kasey Keller...). And a couple of them, (Ronaldo and Tim Howard) even invested in clubs.

2006 veterans who are still active

Of the 736 players who traveled to Germany for the 18th edition of the World Cup, only 11 were still active up until this season and two recently retired.

Out of the nine who are still playing, only four could be with their respective national teams at this summer’s event - and three of them could set a new appearances record by competing in their sixth World Cup.

For the rest, their international careers have now ended and in one case, their national team failed to qualify this time around.

Let’s take a look at where they are now, starting with the four players who are likely to be at the 2026 World Cup.

Luka Modric (Croatia)

Modric, then just 20 years old, had only made his senior debut a few month’s before Germany 2006, playing in all five of Croatia’s pre-tournament friendlies. He was on the bench for the opening game against Brazil, and came on as a sub in the other two group games against Japan and Australia.

Fast forward to 2026. Luke is the most capped Croatia international in history with 196 appearances and 26 goals. His last out was in the 3-1 friendly defeat to Brazil in the recent FIFA window. This will be his fifth World Cup.

Now 40, he is still going strong in Italy with AC Milan and has played 29 Serie A games so far this season and even bagged a couple of goals.

Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Unlike Modric, Leo Messi was involved in the 2026 qualifying round with his native Argentina. By the time World Cup Germany came around, the young forward had already eight senior caps under his belt.

Jose Pekerman included the teenager his his squad but left him on the bench for the opener against Ivory Coast. Messi made his World Cup debut against Serbia-Montenegro on June 16, 2026, coming on as a late sub for Maxi Rodríguez. He capped the moment by setting up Crespo for Argentina’s fifth goal and scoring the team’s sixth.

Messi started the final group game against the Netherlands but was back on the bench for the Round of 16 clash with Mexico, replacing Saviola on 84 minutes. He was an unused sub in the quarter final, which Argentina lost 5-3 on penalties to Germany.

From those humble beginnings to the present day, quite a lot has happened to Messi - including eight Ballon d’Or awards and three The Best FIFA Men’s Player awards and the biggest prize of all - lifting the World Cup at last in 2022.

He is Argentina’s most-capped player with 198 appearances as well as the national team’s all-time top scorer with 115 goals.

At club level he captain’s MLS franchise Inter Miami with whom he has won the Leagues Cup, Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup.

Messi is one of six players to have played in five World Cups and hold the record for the most games played (26).

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

The other star who could join Messi this summer to become the only two players to have played in six World Cups is Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo was already an established member of the Portugal squad by the time of the 2006 World Cup. He also had experience of playing in a major international tournament (Euro 2004).

He played in all of the 2006 qualifiers, scoring twice (against Slovakia and Estonia). In Germany, he made his debut in the starting XI against Angola. His first goal came in the next match against Iran. He was rested for the final group game against Mexico but played all of the team’s games from then on as Portugal made it as far as the semi-final, and lost the game for third place to the hosts.

At international level, Ronaldo holds numerous records - the most caps (226) and the most goals (143).

Now with Al-Nassr, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is inching closer to the magical 1000-career goal mark.

Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico)

The goalkeeper also has the chance to be present at his sixth World Cup although unlike Messi and Ronaldo, he didn’t actually play at his first two despite being in the squad.

Veteran Oswaldo Sánchez guarded Mexico’s goal in all three of the 2006 Germany group games and the Round of 16 tie against Argentina, while Ochoa sat on the bench.

He remained on the bench at the next World Cup in South Africa as back-up to Óscar Pérez. Ochoa finally made his World Cup debut in 2014, keeping a lean sheet in the opening group game against Cameroon. He started the remaining games against Brazil, Croatia and the Netherlands.

Now in the twilight years of his career, Ochoa was without a club until AEL Limassol offered him a contract last September.

It is not guaranteed that Javier Aguirre will include Ochoa in his World Cup squad. Much will depend on the form of Raúl Rangel and Luis Ángel Malagón over the next few weeks. He was called up for last month’s friendlies against Portugal and Belgium but didn’t play. Ochoa’s last appearance for Mexico was in November 2024 against Honduras.

Lukasz Fabianski (Poland)

Another veteran goalkeeper with a slim chance of starring at the 2026 World Cup is Lukasz Fabianski.

He was a fresh-faced 20-year-old who had made just a couple of brief appearances for the senior side when Poland called him up for the 2006 World Cup. He didn’t get a chance to play - in fact his debut would come 12 years later at Russia 2018.

Currently on the books at West Ham, his last game for Poland was in October 2021 - a 5-0 win over San Marino. He is currently nursing a back injury, further narrowing his chances of a miracle call-up.

Roque Santa Cruz (Paraguay)

Roque Santa Cruz is still playing professional football but his international career is long over.

After a four-year stint at Libertad, the 44-year-old signed for Club Nacional in the Paraguayan top flight back of the start of this year.

Capped 112 times by Paraguay, and with 32 goals, his last outing was a World Cup qualifier against Peru in November 2016. He was sat on the bench for the next game against Bolivia and was not called up again.

Lukas Podolski (Germany)

Podolski will celebrate his 41st birthday a week before the 2026 World Cup kicks off. He won’t be with the Germany squad - the last of his 130 international appearances was a friendly against England in March 2017.

Yet Poldi’s still got it - he is regularly turning out for Górnik Zabrze in the Polish top tier. He has made 12 appearances in the Ekstraklasa this season.

Sergio Ramos (Spain)

World Cup winner Sergio Ramos won’t be with Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad at this summer’s tournament. The defender is currently without a club after a brief spell in Mexico with Monterrey.

Ramos made his World Cup bow in 2006 playing as a right-back under Luis Aragonés. His debut came against Ukraine on June 14 and he appeared in the next match against Tunisia as well as the Round of 16 defeat to France.

With 180 senior appearances, he is Spain’s most-capped player. His last international was a four-minute cameo against Kosovo in March 2021.

Óscar Ustari (Argentina)

Ustari watched how Argentina’s 2006 World Cup campaigne unfolded from the subs’ bench. There was no way he was ever going to dislodge first-choice goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri and make the No.1 jersey his own.

In the end, he made just two senior appearances for Argentina - both in friendlies. But curiously, he was reunited with former teammate Lionel Messi at Inter Miami where he spent two seasons.

He has been without a club after his contract was rescinded by mutual consent in February this year.

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