Edin Dzeko once again proved age is just a number on Wednesday night. The 37-year-old Inter Milan frontman scored his side’s opener as they beat arch rivals AC Milan 2-0 in their Champions League semi-final first leg. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who doubled the Nerazzurri’s lead, is no spring chicken himself at 34.
In celebration of this fine showing from two of the game’s great veterans, The Sportsman takes a look at some of the other enduring greats currently plying their trade across European football.
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Lionel Messi
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. A man with a damn good case for being the greatest ever to play the game, he is still turning out for Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 35. Messi isn’t expected to be doing so much longer, with the forward tipped for a move to Saudi Arabia this summer.
Despite his advancing years and his sublime skills being slightly dulled by the passing of time, Messi is coming off his greatest career achievement. The former Barcelona icon turned the clock back in helping Argentina lift the World Cup in Qatar last winter. Whatever the rest of his career looks like, that triumph in Lusail will be the defining image of his outstanding career.
Thiago Silva
You would have been forgiven for thinking the Brazilian defender was a spent force when he pitched up at Chelsea aged 36. Now aged 38 and having played 114 games for the west London club, the decision to sign him on a free after the end of his PSG contract looks smarter by the day.
A knee injury suffered in February has kept him on the sidelines as Chelsea have slumped down the table. The absence of their defensive talisman is likely a major factor in that decline. But no matter what happens from here, Silva’s contributions to the 2021 Champions League triumph and in helping Chelsea reach three domestic cup finals will be savoured by fans.
Fabio Quagliarella
The 40-year-old icon has done it all in the Italian game. Serie A, B and C2 titles sit on his mantle. He has 234 club goals in a whopping 719 games. He has won Goal of the Season, featured in Team of the Season, collected the Golden Boot and even won the Fairplay award.
Yet something still drives the Sampdoria star as he sits firmly in middle age. The goals haven’t come this season, with Quagliarella having gone 21 games without scoring. But the fact he is still playing regularly for a Serie A team at this point in his life says it all about the contributions he can still make.
Luka Modric
Real Madrid’s metronome is simply ageless. The clock reads 37 years old, but the smooth, sublime movements betray a youthful exuberance that lies beneath. Still capable of turning a game on a dime for club and country, Modric lifted the Champions League for the fifth time last season. He also dazzled as Croatia reached third place at the 2022 World Cup.
Modric has reportedly informed Real officials that he intends to sign a one-year extension when his current deal expires at the end of the campaign. Given the fact he has featured 46 times for Madrid already this season, there are very few players of his age that are still as vital at an elite club.
Manuel Neuer
The quintessential “sweeper-keeper” has seen almost every major club cotton on to his innovations. But, as he competes for his 11th Bundesliga title, he is still among the best in his position. At the age of 36, there could be plenty of football ahead for the 2014 World Cup winner.
Given how synonymous he is with Bayern Munich, for whom he will soon pass 500 appearances, it is strange to picture him playing anywhere else. The fact he turned out over 200 times for Schalke before heading to the Allianz Arena is yet more testament to his incredible longevity.
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