Age merely a number for some players

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This article was published 25/10/2019 (2399 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“Age is only a number.”

Having celebrated a birthday recently, it’s a refrain I’ve found myself repeating these past few days. Sure, it’s cliché, but it’s also more optimistic than Pink Floyd’s “shorter of breath and one day closer to death.” Memento mori.

Without admitting how old I am, let’s just say I’ve reached that point where almost every player in every sport is younger than me. Almost, but not all. There remain a few ageless wonders who continue to excel, some of whom, as we’ll discover in this space, are still competing for team championships and individual prizes.

I thought it might be fun to acknowledge them. We often compile lists and profiles of up-and-coming soccer players — those under-20 footballers who excite us about what’s to come, who remind us the sport is in good hands. Well, I’m going to do the opposite.

The following are 10 players who are older than me. They’ve had long, distinguished careers, and they’re not done yet. They also just happen to be some of the most interesting people in soccer. Yes, the sport is in good hands — these hands. And the baton will have to be pried out of them.

Fabio Quagliarella: Sampdoria, 36

He is the reigning Capocannoniere. Last season, the Sampdoria marksman paced Serie A with 26 goals and was named best forward in the Italian top flight. That would be Quagliarella, and not Cristiano Ronaldo. In March, he became the Azzurri’s oldest-ever goal scorer.

Franck Ribéry: Fiorentina, 36

Ribéry was given rock-star treatment on arriving in Florence. With more than 10,000 fans in attendance at Stadio Artemio Franchi, the former Bayern winger strolled down an illumined walkway as smoke machines went off and Eye of the Tiger blasted from the speakers. He has two goals so far this season and has La Viola just a single point off the European places.

Aritz Aduriz: Athletic Bilbao, 38

Similar to Quagliarella, he is his country’s oldest goal scorer. Now in his third stint with his beloved Athletic, Aduriz is used mostly as a substitute and has come off the bench eight times in La Liga. But he has also scored twice in the Copa del Rey. A Basque football icon, he has scored a record 12 times for the unofficial Basque national team.

Joaquin: Real Betis, 38

From Bilbao, we now travel down the whole of Spain to Seville, where Joaquin is something of a cult hero at Real Betis. Having made his professional debut in the 1990s, he remains among the first names on the team sheet and has played 14 times this season, scoring twice. He’s also universally loved for his quick wit and the smile that doesn’t seem to come off his face.

Atiba Hutchinson: Besiktas, 36

Now for some Canadian content. One of this country’s finest soccer exports, Hutchinson continues to excel in midfield for Turkey’s Besiktas, where last weekend he passed the ball for 86 per cent against Alanyaspor. He has won six titles during his time in Europe: four with Copenhagen and two with Besiktas.

Pepe: Porto, 36

A lot of people thought Pepe was finished when his contract expired at Real Madrid in 2017. The defender had other ideas. After a season at Besiktas, he rejoined Porto and continued to make himself indispensable to Portugal’s national team. During the summer, he started A Seleção’s UEFA Nation’s League semifinal against Switzerland.

Emre Belozoglu: Fenerbahce, 39

Keeping with a bit of a Turkish theme, one of that country’s most famous midfielders is still going strong. Last season, he helped Istanbul Basaksehir to an unlikely second-place finish, and he’s now back at Fenerbahce for a third time. Last month, he played his 100th match for Turkey.

Dani Alves: Sao Paulo, 36

Brazil won the Copa America last summer, and Alves was named tournament MVP. He has won titles in each of his past five seasons and remains an elite right-back, excelling at a position that requires constant running. He marked his Sao Paulo debut in August by scoring the winning goal against Ceara.

Daniele De Rossi: Boca Juniors, 36

It’s not often a Europe-born footballer decides to finish his career in South America, but that’s the adventure De Rossi chose after signing for Boca Juniors in July. He scored in his first match for the Buenos Aires club, but has recently been sidelined through injury. A tenacious midfielder who will always be associated with AS Roma, the World Cup winner is hoping to win his first-ever league title in what is likely his final season.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: LA Galaxy, 38

If Thursday’s MLS Cup playoffs defeat to LAFC was indeed his final appearance in Major League Soccer, Ibra went out with a bang. He scored and assisted in the 5-3 loss, and, as he walked back down the tunnel, taunted a group of rival supporters by smirking and grabbing his crotch. Shortly thereafter, he claimed, “Nobody will remember what MLS is” if he leaves Galaxy this winter. It’s been reported that he’ll join Napoli in January.

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