Matthaus, who made a whopping 150 appearances for West Germany, played 25 matches for his national side at the World Cup. He was in the World Cup squad in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998.
He was a part of the triumphant squad in 1990 under Franz Beckenbauer, where he also scored the winner against Czechoslovakia in the quarter finals. Matthaus was named captain of the squad in 1994 and 1998.
Miroslav Klose (Germany) - 24 matches in FIFA World Cup
Striker Miroslav Klose has played 24 World Cup matches for the Germans and netted 16 goals. He holds the record for the most goals scored in the tournament and made the second highest appearances.
Incidentally, Klose went past Ronaldo Nazario’s 15-goal record with a goal against Brazil in the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup. He also appeared in the final against Argentina, which his side won in extra time.
Paulo Maldini (Italy) - 23 matches in FIFA World Cup
Italian stalwart Paulo Maldini appeared 23 times for Italy at World Cups. Unfortunately for the player, who despite having a prolonged 25-year club career, could not win a the world title with his country.
The former AC Milan player featured in the final against Brazil in 1990, which Italy lost on penalties.
Diego Maradona (Argentina) - 21 matches in FIFA World Cup
The 1986 World Cup, to this date, is referred to as the Diego Maradona World Cup. Such were his exploits in that tournament as he dribbled past defenders for fun and scored goals at will.
Maradona made 21 appearances across four editions of the World Cup and scored eight goals.
Uwe Seeler - 21 matches in FIFA World Cup
Uwe Seeler was one of West Germany’s finest ever strikers, scoring 535 goals for club and country in 653 appearances.
The former Hamburger forward represented his nation in the 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970 editions of the World Cup, becoming the first-ever player to make 20 appearances in the tournament (21 matches).
He also scored nine times, including goals in the quarter-finals of the 1966 and 1970 editions against Uruguay and England, respectively.
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The first competition for the cup was organized in 1930 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and was won by Uruguay. Held every four years since that time, except during World War II, the competition consists of international sectional tournaments leading to a final elimination event made up of 32 national teams. Unlike Olympic football, World Cup teams are not limited to players of a certain age or amateur status, so the competition serves more nearly as a contest between the world’s best players. Referees are selected from lists that are submitted by all the national associations.The event was first held in 1916 in honour of the 100th anniversary of Argentina’s independence—with Uruguay winning the inaugural title. It took place every one to four years before it adopted its current quadrennial format in 2007. The Copa América is governed by the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (commonly known as CONMEBOL), and the tournament’s field consists of the 10 national teams that are members of CONMEBOL—Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela—plus two additional national teams that are invited to participate in the event.
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