Oldest players still defying their age in football

It’s the law of nature where ageing comes to haunt everyone, and just like normal people, footballers also grow old. We have seen the age of footballers like Pele and Maradona coming into the world and showing their magic to Ronaldinho and Zidane taking the world by storm. It then went onto Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and as we see both of them at the age of 38 and 36 respectively, they will too leave the beautiful game and someone else will take their steatite if not equally then at least coming close to them. At present it looks like Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will be their successors but who knows pes as we are witnessing some golden age of football with gems being produced every other year.  

Oldest playing 11 in the world  

Formation: 4-4-2  

Goalkeeper  

Claudio Bravo  

Club: Real Betis  

Age: 40  

The Chilean keeper is a legend of the game. At age 40 he won the Copa America with his country defeating Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Once a member of the Famous Barcelona side who won the UEFA Champions League, he is still not bored of the game with Real Betis as his current employer aged 40.

Left Back  

Thiago Silva  

Club: Chelsea  

Age: 39

Considered one of the best defenders to have graced the field. Thiago Silva has had stints with famous clubs like AC Milan, PSG and Chelsea with him ones a prominent member of the Brazilian football team as well. Currently, at the age of 39, he hasn’t thought of retirement yet as he still serves as the starter of London Blues Chelsea.  

Centre Back  

Dante  

Club: OGC Nice  

Age: 40

Dante is not a very household name in the world of football but considering his style of play he is pretty much an underrated one. He has served for teams like Lille, Gladbach, Wolfsburg, Bayern München and currently OGC Nice, he has turned himself into a player who doesn’t look old at all with his defensive skills guiding his team to second place in the Ligue-1.

Centre back  

Pepe  

Club: FC Porto  

Age: 40

A Galactico one in his life the FC Porto product seems to have thought of ending his career on a high with the club which gave him his first chance to shine as a footballer. One of the highest-capped players for Portugal he is still playing hard at the age of 40 and has helped his current employers to stand a chance to play in the round of 16 in the Champions League this season.

Right back  

Jose Fonte  

Club: SC Braga  

Age: 39

Jose Font might not have been as famous as the players mentioned in the lineup but has been a worthwhile addition to all the teams he has played for. The player has had stints in Portugal, England, China and France with his most famous spell coming in was at Lille where his team won the league title above PSG.

Left midfielder  

Ashley Young  

Club: Everton

Age: 38

The former England international has made over 500 plus club appearances in his career with his current employer being Everton. The player's most influential time came with Manchester United where he played in various positions while moving to Italy with Inter Milan for two years. Not a first-team player anymore but an experienced deputy in the meantime he still played at the age of 38.

Central midfielder  

Andres Iniesta  

Club: Emirates Club

Age: 39

He is possibly the first name that comes to anyone’s mind when talking about midfielders. A career that has elongated for more than 20 years and still running, Andres Iniesta is a blessing that ever played football. At the tender age of 39, he is playing for UAE club Emirates Club with no news from him of getting tired of football. He will forever be remembered for his winning goal in the 2010 World Cup and a partnership with legend Xavi that graced the football pitch for years.  

Central midfielder  

Luka Modric

Club: Real Madrid  

Age: 38

800 plus games, a World Cup finalist with Ballon D’ Or to his name, Luka Modric is a five-time Champions League winner who is still ageing like a fine wine. Still a player for one of the best clubs in the world of football Real Madrid, his signing was considered a shrewder business, cut to time now we can say it was one of the best signings that was ever made official.

Right Midfielder  

Jesus Navas  

Club: Sevilla  

Age: 38

Jesus Navas is a Sevilla legend. The player started off his career in the Spanish city and went on to represent English giants Manchester City in his career. Since leaving them he has returned to Sevilla where he is an experienced talent who still manages to cut the playing 11 helping his younger side to win matches against tougher opponents.  

Forward  

Cristiano Ronaldo  

Club: Al-Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the best players in football alongside Lionel Messi. The player has the record of the most number of goals ever scored with him not settling yet as he continues to play football in Saudi Arabia with 50 plus goals in 2023 already. He was the main man behind the transformation of the Saudi Pro League as many starts followed him there to make the league go a lot higher than it was ranked before.

Forward  

Alvaro Negredo  

Club: Cadiz  

Age: 38

Spanish talent Alvaro Negredo was a commendable deputy forward for many sides he played for. He had stints in England, Spain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. He currently plays for Spanish Cadiz for whom he is close to bringing up his 100th cap. He was also a French international during his young age and was a prolific striker during his days for Sevilla, Almeria and Al-Nassr.

Cover Credits:  Eurosport