5 players who hit their peak after turning 30
Footballers tend to have a rather short shelf life. Unlike some other sports where players can carry on well into their late 30s or even 40s, football’s demanding nature turns players obsolete quite quickly.
Once a footballer turns 30, their performances generally tend to decline and they end up moving to easier leagues for bigger pay-cheques.
Some football stars, however, refuse to give in to the norm and get a second wind in the twilight of their careers. Today, we will take a look at a few football stars who have gotten better with age.
Here are five footballers who hit their peak after their 30th birthdays:
#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
At 40, AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the oldest player on our list. The Swede has had successful stints at multiple big European clubs, but the blistering four-season spell he enjoyed at Paris Saint-Germain remains special.
He joined PSG a couple of months before his 31st birthday in 2012. His personality and winning pedigree helped him become Ligue 1’s undisputed frontman in the blink of an eye.
In the next four seasons, he made 180 appearances for the Parisians, scoring 156 goals. Although he couldn’t win the Champions League, the former Juventus and Inter Milan star surely helped PSG become a club to be reckoned with.
The 40-year-old won four Ligue 1 titles and two French Cups amongst other domestic honors before joining Manchester United in 2016.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic about becoming a manager: 'Impossible. During the game I would punch at least two players and after the game eight.' 😂 https://t.co/Y3gv4Ul1J1
At Manchester United, too, he was quite a phenomenon, scoring 29 goals for the Red Devils in 53 appearances across competitions.
Currently at Milan, he is still finding it in himself to be productive in one of Europe's top-five leagues.
He has eight Serie A goals to his name this season already and is on course to reach double-figures before the current campaign concludes.
#4 Karim Benzema
La Liga giants Real Madrid signed Karim Benzema from Lyon in the summer of 2009. They signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in the same window. The duo immediately struck a partnership and dominated almost every team for the next nine seasons.
With Ronaldo by his side, Benzema took on a more creative role, working overtime to create space for the Portuguese to exploit.
Since Ronaldo’s departure in 2018, Benzema has had to fill in as Real Madrid’s primary goalscorer. Surprising his critics, the 34-year-old passed the test with flying colors.
Since the 2018-19 campaign, the Frenchman has been a lot more trigger-happy and aggressive around the penalty area. He has popped up with goals and assists without forsaking his unmatched link-up play.
🖼️ 'THE GOLAZO' 🖼️
🖌️ @lukamodric10
🖌️ @Benzema
#UCL https://t.co/rSKEquxnWU
On Wednesday night, Benzema scored a tie-winning 17-minute hat-trick against PSG in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg. Buoyed by his triple strike, Los Blancos overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit and booked their place in the quarter-finals by winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
Since turning 30, Benzema has scored over 120 goals for Real Madrid across all competitions, winning one Champions League and one La Liga title. He has scored at least 20 La Liga goals in his last four seasons, including the ongoing one.
After a prolonged absence from France’s squad due to off-field controversies, Benzema returned to the team last year. He scored four goals in as many Euro 2020 matches, emerging as their leading scorer.
The forward also helped his team to the UEFA Nations League title, scoring a goal each in the semi-finals and final.