Soccer players typically peak during their late 20s and early 30s, so we have become accustomed to most ending their playing careers in their early or mid-30s.
That is considered the norm and any footballer who leaves the game at that age should feel fulfilled.
However, there are some who defy these limits and continue to play the game for a long time.
Two players everyone knows have maintained their fitness levels to keep fighting for the crown of the oldest soccer player in the world are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo and Messi have competed against each other for the top player in the world awards for the last two decades and only left Europe last year.
Messi is now in the MLS while Ronaldo plays in the Saudi Pro League, a competition he recently claimed is better than the French Ligue 1.
Messi chose a quieter life in the MLS where he now plays for Inter Miami and is preparing for the 2024 season, alongside his long-time buddy Luis Suarez.
Saurez is 36 already and should be considering retirement, but following his superb season at Gremio, he has linked up with Messi in Miami. Can they win the MLS this term? Time will tell.
The likes of Thiago Silva, James Milner, Lukasz Fabianski, Sergio Ramos, Guillermo Ochoa, and Jesus Navas, among others, are players heading towards the 40-year mark but are still in competitive football in Europe.
What factors determine a long soccer career?
There are so many factors that keep pro soccer players fit and healthy enough to keep playing and the number one reason they can remain competitive is their physical fitness.
In 2020, while playing for Juventus as a 34-year-old, while others his age at the time were preparing to retire, Ronaldo explains his secret to staying fit.
He said, as quoted by Mens Health: “During pre-season, when we’re all returning from time off, our work tends to be intense. We may have more than one training session in a single day, plus strength and conditioning workouts. I watch my diet, eat healthily and avoid things that are bad for me like alcohol, sugary sodas and processed foods.
“I focus on eating simple whole foods, like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein.”
This is one big secret to remaining healthy and as young as possible. We cannot cover the secret of every player, but James Milner is 38 and remains fitter and more active than some younger players in the world.
The Englishman is famously a teetotal who has never drank and remains committed to staying that way for the rest of his career.
This continues to show the importance of dieting and watching what they consume as a key to longevity in soccer.
When do soccer players retire?
We have covered before that most top pros leave the game in their mid-30s, some because of fitness problems, while others want to focus on a different career path.
However, in recent years, we have discovered that the oldest soccer players do not leave the game until their late 30s or early 40s.
Gianluigi Buffon retired last year at Parma when he was 45, the legendary Italian goalie played for some of the top teams, most notably Juventus and PSG.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was also forced to leave the game because of injury at 41, he had been one of the best strikers we have watched play.
Long before Buffon and Ibrahimovic enjoyed long careers in the game, Roger Milla played for Cameroon at a World Cup at 42. Brazil’s Rivaldo was also an active footballer at 43, while Essam El Hadary played for Egypt at the 2018 World Cup at 47.
These are still considered exceptions to the rule, but anyone can become one of the oldest soccer players in the world if they take good care of themselves and are determined.
The oldest soccer players still in active football:
Kazuyoshi Miura, 56, Oliveirense, Japan
Kazu is the oldest footballer in the world and moved to Oliveirense on loan from Yokohama FC last year.
The Japanese attacker has played for Yokohama since 2005 and remains the biggest outlier in the soccer world.
He is not just the oldest professional player in the history of the game, he also holds the record for the oldest player to score in professional football.
It is hard to think any other player will remain professional at 50, but Miura could get to 60 if he feels good about his body.
His current loan deal is for an indefinite period, and we could see him spend more than a season in Europe and perhaps gain promotion with his present club
Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, Al-Nassr, Portugal
Ronaldo has one of the most glittering CVs in world football and he is most notably the highest goal scorer in men’s international football as well as Real Madrid’s record goalscorer.
The Portuguese star will be 39 in February and joked that he will play football for ten more years, recently. Can he really go that far?
Thiago Silva, 39, Chelsea, Brazil
Silva will be 40 in September and there is a very good chance that he could earn a new deal at Chelsea.
The Brazilian is the best defender at the club and arguably one of the best in the Premier League at his age.
Silva is so solid it is hard to tell that he is 39 already and he still has the legs to spend five more seasons in competitive football.
Lionel Messi, 36, Inter Miami, Argentina
Despite being two years younger than his long-term rival, Ronaldo, Messi has cast doubt over his featuring at the 2026 World Cup in just two years.
After winning the competition last year in Qatar, he is easily now the Greatest Of All Time, depending on who you ask.
He is enjoying a quieter stint in the MLS, but with Luis Suarez joining him at the Miami club, he could compete to win some honors in the 2024 season.
