Former Fulham star Bryan Ruiz set for one final swansong at the World Cup

Incredibly at the age of 37, the former Fulham star has been selected to compete in Qatar with his country.

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And after helping Costa Rica to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup, Ruiz will be out to provide his country with some more joy in what is sure to be his final World Cup appearance.

Bryan Ruiz: The story so far

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The forward made his international debut for Los Ticos in 2005, with his younger brother Yendrick, three years his junior, making his bow in 2013.

The latter only managed six caps for Costa Rica but Bryan Ruiz is the country's all-time leading appearance maker with 144 caps, while he also sits third on the goalscorer list with 29 goals.

Ruiz has widely been considered one of the most talented players to come from Central America but hasn't quite lived up to the hype.

The attacking midfielder has played for the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Fulham, Gent, FC Twente and PSV Eindhoven.

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But despite sparkling for Gent and Twente, that form never really translated to the Premier League or in Portugal.

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Ruiz scored some special goals while at Craven Cottage, but he was part of the team that was relegated in the 2013/14 season and he struggled to make an impact in the Championship the season after.

The six-feet-two' star tried a spell in Brazil with Santos, but he is now back where it all started at LD Alajuelense in his native Costa Rica.

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However, his contract is up in December, so Ruiz won't have a club when the World Cup ends.

But on the international stage and at the World Cup, things have been different for Ruiz.

In two World Cup campaigns, Ruiz has made eight appearances in which he has scored twice and provided an assist.

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In Brazil at the 2014 World Cup, Ruiz started and captained his side in every game as they made it all the way to the quarter-finals.

Everyone expected Los Ticos to finish bottom of their group that contained England, Italy and Uruguay, but they defied all expectations.

Ruiz scored a bullet header in a 1-0 win over Italy that helped ensure they topped Group D and eliminate the 2006 world champions.

He scored again in the last 16 victory over Greece as his cleverly disguised finish sent the knockout tie to penalties.

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The former Fulham man then notched from the spot in the shoot-out as Costa Rica made it to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten on penalties by the Netherlands.

Costa Rica didn't perform as well during the 2018 World Cup as they crashed out in the group stages after defeats to Brazil and Serbia in their opening two games.

They managed a 2-2 draw with Switzerland in the final match and Ruiz set up a goal.

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He also played every minute and captained his side, so Ruiz has been a key player at the last two World Cups for Costa Rica, and is set to be one more time.

Wouldn't it be great if he had one last moment of magic in those boots before he retires…