Following the recent announcement that the age-defying Ryan
Giggs would be extending his stay at Manchester United beyond this 40th
birthday, we look at 5 other players who have continued their career
beyond their fourth decade with varying degrees of success.
1. Rivaldo
Former Brazil, Barcelona and AC Milan forward Rivaldo is currently
playing for Sao Caetano in the Brazilian Serie B having moved from
Angolan side Kabuscorp at the age of 40. He had a successful spell in
Angola, the former FIFA World Player of the Year scoring an impressive
11 goals in 21 games. It was also reported that Charlton Athletic turned
down the opportunity to sign the veteran - quite a fall for a man who
had been inducted into the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame.
2. David James
Another player who has been forced to drop down the leagues in order
to elongate his career is the 42-year-old former England international,
plying his trade at League 1 Bournemouth at present. However, he is no
longer the first choice and there have been rumours that he has been training with Icelandic side IBV, who are coached by his former team-mate Hermann Hreidarsson.
3. Mark Schwarzer
It is hard to believe that the agile Aussie is now 40. He continues
to turn in stunning performances for Fulham and shows no signs of
slowing down, with talks of a new contract at his current club
apparently underway. His aim is to play for Australia at the World Cup
in Brazil before retiring, for whom he has 104 caps, but he wants
assurances he will remain first choice. Despite his age, he would
probably be a number one for most Premier League sides.
4. Paolo Maldini
Milan legend Maldini's career spanned a quarter of a century, the
former captain amassing over 900 club appearances in the process in
addition to 126 international caps. There is not enough I can say to do
this man credit. Five Champions League winners' medals and seven Serie A
titles are a small selection of the array of trophies he has won. He
retired at the age of 41 - his number 3 shirt was also retired in his
honour (unless one of his sons breaks into the Milan first team) - and
continued to contribute until the end of his career: he was voted
Defender of the Year at the age of 39.
5. Derek May
Derek has been reported to be the oldest player still playing football at any level.
The 73-year-old had over 2,000 appearances and 1,000 goals to his name
and keeps adding to that tally, turning out for Meridian FC on a regular
basis.
Who knows, we could see the Welsh Wizard at Old Trafford for another 30 years...
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