The Perpetual Magicians- A dive into the timeless brilliance of active Footballing Greats
We’ve done Scout reports, we’ve looked at young talents that may well define the future of football, and we’ve looked at legends who have played a huge chunk of part in writing the golden history of this beautiful game. But what about the present ones who were once wonderkids and are now about to leave a legacy, who show us every gameweek how to boss on the pitch even at an above-veteran age?
We look at FIVE such players who’ve aged like a fine wine and keep delivering to us an unparalleled quality of football even at ages of 35 or above while their legs are pacing fast towards their 40s. So let’s dive right in and look at the players to look forward to, who are not hot prospects because of their young age, but for aging like Benjamin Button!
[Note that I haven’t included Cristiano Ronaldo, who is 35+ indeed but I felt brief descriptions and stats can’t define that guy at all; as well as Zlatan Ibrahimovic who will be 40 soon and still looks in his prime, whose longevity and impact and accolades have been applauded for long now, primarily by the man himself :)]
Thiago Silva (36y, CB)
A Champions League winner with Chelsea at the age of 36, not many people would’ve thought Thiago Silva will excel after coming to the Premier League in 2020 as much as he did, especially as the PL has been known to be physically more demanding, much higher in standards that he enjoyed before at PSG in Ligue 1. Thiago Silva remained one of the most nailed players throughout last season both under Frank Lampard and his well-known man from PSG, Thomas Tuchel.
Since turning 30, his team trophy cabinet looks like this-
- 4 x Ligue 1 (PSG)
- 4 x Coupe de la Ligue (PSG)
- 3 x Trophee Des Champions (PSG)
- 4 x Coupe de France (PSG)
- 1 x UEFA Champions League (Chelsea)
- 1 x UEFA Super Cup (Chelsea)
- 1 x Copa America (2019, Brazil)
Along with these 18 team trophies stacked up, his individual accolades since the age of 30 include-
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year (4x)
- FIFA FIFPro World XI 2nd Team (3x)
- FIFA World Cup All-Star team 2018
- FIFA World Cup Dream team 2018
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season (1x)
- Copa America team of the Tournament 2019
- IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Decade 2011–2020
Adding to these he was the runner up both at the UEFA Champions League 2019–20 with PSG and the FA Cup 2020–21 with Chelsea, standing out as the respective teams’ one of the best players in the squad as well as a very experienced and smart leader in the dressing room. A strong and elegant central defender along with being a very good coordinator of passes in defense, Thiago Silva stabilized Chelsea’s defense since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, playing a major part as the club kept 9 clean sheets in the Champions League. This was more than any other club, and guided them towards only their second Champions League success in the club’s history. Having extended his stay in London, it would be interesting to watch how much more Silva can offer in his twilight years, and I for one, won’t be surprised if he has much more silverware to add for himself.
Some intriguing stats of last season via FBRef and Statsbomb for the evergreen Silva, as compared to all the center-backs in Europe’s top 5 leagues:
- 78.54 passes attempted p90 (top 5%)
- 92.9 % pass completion rate (top 5%)
- 6.39 Progressive carries p90 (top 3%)
Luka Modric (35y, CM/CDM)
Luka Modric will be 36 in September and isn’t showing any signs of decline yet. Still a tank in midfield and a crucial part of Real Madrid’s squad under Zinedine Zidane in recent years as well as now under Carlo Ancelotti, Modric only seems to add more and more glory to his name.
In a season ravaged by injuries for Real, Modric still managed to keep himself fit throughout 2020–21 and was a shining light in a rather disappointing season for the Los Blancos. Croatia had a below-par Euros 2020 run but again, Modric commanded their midfield irrespective of the opposition. In their disappointing knockout loss to Spain in the Round of 16, it was the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner who pulled the strings as Croatia fantastically came from behind from 3–1 down to get things level and stretch the game to extra time, where they’d lose eventually by a score of 5–3.
Modric has already won the following since turning 30-
- 1 x La Liga (Real Madrid)
- 1 x Supercopa de Espana (Real Madrid)
- 3 x UEFA Champions League (Real Madrid)
- 2 x UEFA Super Cup (Real Madrid)
- 3 x FIFA Club World Cup (Real Madrid)
Modric is one of those who have thrived after turning 30 and hence among the tonnes of His individual collections since that age barrier, all can’t be listed here since they’re so bloated in volume, so I’ll drop down some major of them which include-
- La Liga Best Midfielder 2015–16
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season (4x)
- FIFA FIFPro World XI (4x)
- UEFA Midfielder of the Season (3x)
- UEFA Team of the Year (3x)
- IFFHS Men’s World Team (2x)
- FIFA World Cup Golden Ball 2018
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team 2018
- The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2018
- Ballon d’Or 2018
Adding to these, Modric was also awarded the honorary Golden Foot in 2019 for his outstanding contributions to the game as well as being a pure gentleman off the pitch. Modric has always been operating at his own special level, as evident from his performances at World Cup in 2018 when he carried Croatia in their fairytale journey to the final, eventually losing out on football’s biggest prize to France.
One of his landmark moments at Euro 2020 was his sumptuous goal against Scotland. “Outside of the box, outside of the boot, curls it into the back of the net. A timeless brilliance from Luka Modric”, as The Athletic described it. Words cannot fully suffice for what Modric has been at Madrid and where the Blancos would’ve been without him, but there’s no time to think so because all Modric himself is focusing upon is the present and many more years he can contribute to this beautiful game and I have to say, it is as big a blessing to any football fan as it is to the Real Madrid ones, to watch the scintillating Modric bossing midfields in this age, and emerging as one of the finest of this generation.
Some astounding compiled stats of last season via FBRef and Statsbomb for the Modric, as compared to all the midfielders in Europe’s top 5 leagues:
- 3.21 shot-creating actions p90 (top 10%)
- 92.9 % pass completion rate (top 5%)
- 7.31 Progressive passes p90 (top 5%)
- 7.60 Progressive carries p90 (top 7%)
- 1.69 dribbles p90 (top 8%)
3. Fernandinho (36y, CDM/CB)
Perhaps if we make a list of Manchester City’s greatest players ever, it won’t be surprising if some people miss out or sleep on Fernandinho while making their list. After all, he plays a role in the City midfield which doesn’t get much attention, unless some mega buy is filling that position. And Fernandinho has been doing this for years. Fernandinho has been a constant in City’s most successful period in their history, and remains an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s dressing room, as a leader and a player who has helped City keep their back door shut in many games when players maraud forward on the pitch.
Fernandinho’s team accolades since turning 30 are-
- 3 x Premier League (Man City)
- 1 x FA Cup (Man City)
- 5 x League Cup (Man City)
- 1 x FA Community Shield (Man City)
- 1 x Copa America (2019, Brazil)
Although not many, still his individual trophies don’t and cannot determine his importance to this City Side. His only major one that one can recall is his PFA Team of the Year 2018–19 inclusion, but his absence has been felt by City heavily, most recently in the Champions League final 2020–21 when Pep Guardiola refused to deploy a single holding midfielder as his team suffered defeat to Chelsea. As much as the Cityzens missed his footballing abilities, they also missed his leadership and experience at such a mammoth stage which many of the players were experiencing for the first time.
Fernandinho is a midfielder known for his tackling, long-range shooting from the holding midfield role, as well as notoriously for his seemingly magical ability to avoid bookings even for the roughest of challenges. He has also been used as a center-back in times of emergency and has excelled at that role too. After recently signing another extension with City, he is destined to add more to his trophy and individual cabinet in the upcoming seasons, and I personally am sure that in a few years when we, as fans look back at these City golden years, Fernandinho will emerge as nothing less than a Premier League and Manchester City legend. Some stats of last season tell the story of Fernandinho themselves via FBRef and Statsbomb, as compared to all the midfielders in Europe’s top 5 leagues:
- 7.60 progressive passes p90 (top 2%)
- 9.59 progressive carries p90 (Best in Europe)
- 2.33 aerial duels won p90 (top 10%)
- 73.64 passes attempted p90 (top 9%)
4. Giorgio Chiellini (37y, CB)
If Chiellini was the most underrated Cb in all of Europe for the past decade, he certainly isn’t after the fantastic Euros he and his Italy side had. At the heart of defense was Chiellini, partnered with Bonucci, as the Old Lady defensive pair kept the lines solid in front of a brilliant Donnarumma to bring the trophy to Rome. Chiellini is one very big reason why Juve had kept their Italian Domestic dominance intact throughout the last decade, and with progressing age, he only seems to be getting more solid.
Since turning 30, these are the accolades he has to show for-
- 5 x Serie A (Juventus)
- 4 x Coppa Italia (Juventus)
- 3 x Supercoppa Italiana (Juventus)
- 1 x UEFA Euro (2020, Italy)
Chiellini also managed to reach the Champions League final with Juventus on two occasions, unfortunately losing out both times.
Individual honours since the age of 30 for Chiellini-
- Serie A Team of the Year (3x)
- UEFA Team of the Year (1x)
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season (1x)
- FIFA FIFPro World XI 2nd Team (1x)
- Juventus Greatest XI of all time (2017)
Known for his no-nonsense and old-fashioned strict playing style, Chiellini has been crucial for his ball-winning and aggression on the pitch. His captaincy and calm leadership in even the tensest situations has helped his Juventus and national teammates on the biggest stage a number of times. One of the instances that anyone would remember was his exchange with Spain Skipper Jordi Alba in which he grabbed (rather forcibly) Alba just before their intense penalty shootout in the Semi-FInals of the Euros; which Italy managed to flow past. It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say that Chiellini has carried the Italian defensive legacy on really well from icons like Paolo Maldini and Cannavaro. Just like Maldini played on for Milan till the age of 41 and never looked like exhausting his legs out, Chiellini looks to be on a similar path, as he recently signed a two-year extension to remain with the old lady until 2023, which will keep him at the club till the age of 39, and there’s no reason to think that despite suffering a long term injury which kept him out for the majority of last season in Serie A and UCL, Chiellini won’t be the first choice center back for Juve as they look to revive their domestic dominance after failing to secure the Scudetto to inter last season. And of course when he does retire, “King Kong”’s name will be synonymous with Juventus, one can be sure of that.
5. Samir Handanovic (37y, GK)
Being a 37 year old and still keeping the #1 jersey at a top club isn’t a child’s play. Samir Handanovic has done just that, eventually ending his trophy drought and winning the Serie A with Inter Milan last season, as the club’s captain. Even in the poorest and darkest of times for the club, Handanovic has rarely called for criticism over his performances over the years and has only improved as he aged.
Despite His only silverware at the club was the Scudetto, but the ones who’ve watched him closely will agree that he deserves much more credit than that, on constantly making important saves even with a sub-par Inter team a few years ago, be it Serie A, the Europa League or the Champions League.
Some of his personal accolades after turning 30 include-
- Serie A Team of the Year 2018–19
- AIC Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year 2018–19
- Lega Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year 2018–19
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season 2019–20.
It is also to be noted that Handanovic faced competition from fellow compatriot Jan Oblak for the national team but remained as the first choice until his retirement at the age of 32. Sources suggest that the upcoming might be his last season with Inter and if it is so, Inter will definitely need a large void to be filled in place of someone who has carried the job between the posts even when near to his 40s.
So that concludes our list, for now, that is. I know these aren’t the only kings of the 35+ and still going category, but I wanted to bring a diversified view of the fact that youngsters and wonderkids aren’t everything in football. Sometimes you need to look beyond age and admire the essence of football shown by this current lot of experienced royalty, and a future lot of footballing icons.