Are top players getting older?

[Big Doug]

There seems to be less quality young players than a few years ago aswell.

I remember when the likes of messi, higuain, aguero, Ronaldo, torres, huntelaar, benzema etc. Were all of a similiar age.

I couldn't really name a current crop of say 21-24 year olds right now who had so much potential at the time

 

[The Esk]

I think this is one of the reasons that team sports and a lot of individual sports are seeing big improvements in performance, times, distances, speed etc.

I think it is possible that in years gone by athletes performance started to decline before athletes had reached their optimal performance levels. Hence today athletes are taking longer to peak and are peaking higher.

 

[Ozdec]

It is a combination of being able to make the body last longer through nutrition and injury management and higher levels of professionalism - less careers ended early due to injury or having to work rather than a rest-training cycle.

This means that the body is still physically at/near its peak when the amount of experience also gets to a high level.

However this may mean that the talented youngster ala Rooney won't break through as often due to that lack of experience not being overcome by purely physical gifts and talent alone.

In many ways football codes are way behind a lot of other sports (esp individual ones) on nutrition and lifestyle.

In contrast however in the Australian Football league the average retirement age is dropping (may be under 30 now) due to increased physical requirements across all the different types of players and positions

 

[mythbuster]

I think it differs in individuals. Who would have predicted that Michael Owen would retire before Ryan Giggs?

 

[obc]

it's been stated above in a variety of methods. increases in conditioning, nutrition, and health care have enable players to stay in great shape longer... if you are at your physical peak for a longer period, the value of experience and mental conditioning increase your value overall.

Factor in the individual's commitment.

and Peyton is an anomaly... and a stay in the pocket QB surrounded by talented wide outs. The position is far more cerebral than physical. Quickly assess the situation, isolate the best option, and launch the pass before the O-Line breaks. And, of course, his career might be over after this season depending upon that whole neck exam in March.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

Strangely I've always thought that the likes of Raul, Ronaldo (the Brazilian), Owen, Rooney and Messi were the exception rather than the rule. Yet they set the bar for young promising players. If they weren't ripping it up by the age of 20 there was no way they could go on to be great players. As you say the likes of Coleman, and Diego Costa, who was also loaned out, are probably representing the more normal rate of development. Baines is another good example.

I can remember Under 23 international matches and those players were basically seen as the next generation although, again, as you say, 30 was basically the end of the line for a career in footie. Everything was more compressed back then.

 

[CahillsCornerFlag]

I know my physical abilities are much better now (at 34) than they were at 20 so I don't think it is always the case. Strongmen and cyclists (to use two polar opposites) both reach their peaks towards the late 20's/early 30's.

I quite agree with you though regarding the mental side of the game. I kinda wonder, given the global nature of the game and all, whether there is such a depth of talent now that the levels are much higher, therefore youngsters need both the physical and mental maturity that comes with a bit of age in order to make a dent.

A lot of folks seem to suggest that technique is largely settled by a players teenage years, so what remains is therefore physical development and mental maturity (in terms of tactics, preparation etc.), both of which may take a bit longer than was previously the case.

I read something interesting recently about adolescence (non sports related). It argued that rather than you being fully grown up once you reach 18 it actually extends to 25, due in part to the many big changes that happen in your life and your coping mechanisms toward them.

It stands to reason that footballers, and indeed anyone honing any skill or craft, might not understand how to achieve their optimum as they haven't fully developed the know how in order to achieve it. It might not be because the youngster in question can't be good enough, he just doesn't have to mental strength or reasoning to be able to achieve it. Coaching only takes you so far.

Coleman is a great example, as you can clearly see his development as he's aged.

 

[evilwebby]

Definitely see something in this.

Top sportsmen are fitter and stronger than ever. To be a top flight footballer now you firstly have to have a top athlete, so there is much more for strength and fitness training than ever before, and year-round programmes are the norm now. With such a high level of fitness now their bodies adapt to it and they carry on getting stronger under such training programmes for several years longer.

Nutrition and diet also has come a long way, and just general resource and timetable management - athletes will carefully select what events they want to do, and try to peak for those events only - eg, the Williams sisters only used to contest the grand slams for many years. Football has become a squad sport, rather than relying on players 16 players to see you through a season, now you're a member of 25 regular first teamers.

 

[evilwebby]

Of course, Stanley Matthews and Roger Milla disprove everything written above.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

There was a piece on the BBC site recently talking about the rise of Christiano Ronaldo, and a big part of that was said to be the gym work he did when he arrived at Man Utd. He had a lot of technical ability at that time, but he did an awful lot with his physical abilities in those early years at United, to the extent that he's now regarded as almost physically perfect for a footballer.

It begs the question therefore, as we have quite a few players out on loan at the moment, should we as fans be ok with players going out on loan until they're 21/22 before contributing to the first team? Is that more realistic?

 

[Ozdec]

It begs the question therefore, as we have quite a few players out on loan at the moment, should we as fans be ok with players going out on loan until they're 21/22 before contributing to the first team? Is that more realistic?

Yes it is - getting a bit silly atm with people asking if Youth Player X is ready to play for the 1st team when they are 16-17.

People physically and mentally mature at different rates - rare to find a 17 yr old as physically strong as a 25 yr old professional and also able to handle the mental aspects.

Having them out on loan shows them the physical and mental aspect of playing week in and out for a season. IMO it would smooth their transition into the 1st team squad if they show that ability.

That is why there is a U21s league - most players who are under 21 should be in that league to be prepared for 1st team spots. Unfortunately it is not up to scratch yet in comparison with say the 'B' team concept as in Spain.

 

[Rook]

I think the prem shortens careers. Its pretty fast paced, the tackles are harder and there is no winter break.

Contrast that to the MLS: American players usually peak around 29-31. Coming through the ranks of college/MLS may not give you the best coaching however thanks to playoffs, players can sit out with niggling injuries. Plus the MLS season continues even when players leave for international duty so said players have a lot less milage on them in their 30s than a prem player does. For this reason I want promising young Americans to stay in MLS until around 22-23 now when I used to have the mindset that they should have been in Europe yesterday.

I would love to see Everton start shipping youngsters on loan to the MLS. They'll play in decent professional league and won't have to play when they aren't 100%, have a fixture list that's not taxing and intern there is less of a chance they'll come back as damaged goods. I bet you'll see Man City sending a bunch of players over to NY FC in the next few years.