10 Most Capped Players At World Cup 2018

This isn't their first time.

800px Argentine   Portugal   Javier Mascherano
By Ludovic Péron [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Making an appearance for your country is one of the ultimate dreams of any young footballer. There are few greater honours in the sport than being called up to represent your nation, and even if you only make a few appearances, it’s still a big achievement.

But what about the players who earn over a hundred caps? These footballers have etched their names into the history books, proving themselves to be consistently among the very best players their nations have ever produced.

Heading into the 2018 World Cup, some players have only made one or two appearances for their countries and have their whole careers still ahead of them, but others know the international stage like the back of their hands.

These players have already pulled on their national team shirts over a hundred times and are idolised by countless young fans in their homelands. In many cases, they also happen to be the captains of their squads as well. For many, this will be their final World Cup, and they’ll be doing all they can to make it a tournament to remember.

10. Jaime Penedo (131) - Panama

800px Argentine   Portugal   Javier Mascherano
By araizavictor (Cropped from Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

If England and Belgium want to get out of their group, they'll be banking on putting a few goals past Panama, but they'll have to beat this man first. 36-year-old Jaime Penedo is one of his nation's most experienced players, with 131 international appearances to his name.

He's also one of the only players in the Panama squad to ply his trade in Europe, having been with Romanian club Dinamo București since 2016. Penedo has also spent time with Osasuna in Spain and LA Galaxy in the MLS.

Not the tallest keeper at the tournament, 6'1" Penedo is an agile presence between the sticks and has proven his worth at international level on many occasions, helping Panama to two finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup and winning the Top Goalkeeper award on both of those occasions. There's a real spirit of togetherness in the Panama squad and the players will be looking to Penedo as a leader both on and off the pitch.

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