RANT SPORTS – Life begins at 35 for Football Players?
Well, OK, of course it doesn’t. But as far as football is concerned, Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi are by no means the only ones who still flourish well beyond their 35th birthday.
A number of players of that age group not only feature, but do indeed star for their sides at the top level of the European game. And it’s no wonder many of them are goalkeepers. At 41, Remko Pasveer is the undisputed Ajax No1, with 18 clean sheets in 39 outings this season – he saved no fewer than five shots as the Amsterdam giants knocked Panathinaikos out of the UEFA Europa League in a penalty shoot-out in August.
Manuel Neuer will turn 39 next month, but he keeps flying the flag for the mighty Bayern ever since he moved to Munich back in 2011. He has 16 clean sheets in 30 appearances during the current campaign – and he will come up against 35-year-old Lukáš Hradecký again in the UEFA Champions League, as Bayer will look to upset the six-time winners. And Yann Sommer, although currently injured, followed up a highly successful career in Germany before making the Inter Milan goalie position his own. The 36-year-old Swiss has kept 19 clean sheets in 35 matches this season after winning the Serie A the previous one.
Simon Mignolet (36) is also involved in the Champions League with Brugge, two years his seniors Vicente Guaita (Celta), Kasper Schmeichel (Celtic) and Nando Muslera (Galatasaray) still show their worth, as is 42-year-old Craig Gordon, who despite at least three career-threatening injuries is still first selection for Hearts and an active Scotland football international.
DEFENDERS
One would expect a bunch of centre backs featuring in this paragraph, but this applies only to Nicolás Otamendi’s case. Capped a staggering 123 times with Argentina, the reigning FIFA World Cup and Copa America holders, the Benfica captain celebrated his 37th birthday this month, but has featured 34 times this season for the Eagles, helping them claim the Taça da Liga in January.
Playing on the wings of defence seems ever more demanding, but that has not been a problem for two 35-year-olds. Athletic de Bilbao legend and captain Óscar de Marcos, a midfielder-turned-right back and Italy international Matteo Darmian – typically a right wing back who’s been offering solutions to Inter Milan anywhere Simone Inzaghi asks him to, be it on the left or at the heart of the backline.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS
Besides Sommer and Darmian, Internazionale also rely heavily on the services of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Perhaps the greatest Armenian player ever, at 36 he’s featured 32 times at central midfield this season. And perhaps the greatest Croatian footballer of all time, Luka Modrić, has three goals and six assists to his name with the almighty Real Madrid at 39. Nemanja Matić (36, Lyon), Dani Rodríguez (36, Mallorca), Dani Parejo (35, Villarreal) and Idrissa Gueye (35, Everton) are all still going strong in the middle of the park.
ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS
Strangely enough, it is further up the field of play that a large number of seasoned football stars continue to shine. After scoring for Roma against them in a 2021 Derby della Capitale, Pedro joined fierce city rivals Lazio and at 37 he’s revived his career: nine goals and four assists n 28 outings this running campaign! Back with Benfica, Ángel Di María also looks revitalized (32 matches, 14 goals scored and eight created), Dries Mertens (37) has set up his Galatasaray teammates 18 times (!) across the season, while 36-year-old Dušan Tadić has 10+15 G+A to his name with cross-town foes Fenerbahçe! And of course Thomas Müller, a second-striker archetype and Bayern’s all-time record appearance maker, is still delivering the goods for his boyhood club at 35.
STRIKERS
Müller and Robert Lewandowski combined for a grand total of 80 goals during their time spent together in Munich, but at 36 the Poland captain is still banging them in without his old pal’s help: 32 in 34 outings for Barcelona this season! Also in Spain, unsung hero Kike García (35) is almost single-handedly trying to keep Alavés afloat, but his efforts may prove to no avail, much like Leicester City captain Jamie Vardy’s (38) in England.
Most of these legends of the game are in the last months of their contracts, perhaps even their careers. At least Edin Džeko (also 38), the ultimate Bosnian footballing icon, may go out with a bang, as Turkish giants Fenerbahçe are still in the hunt for an unprecedented treble this year. And you can never write off José Mourinho, can you?
