When do players peak these days?

[Bruce Wayne]

This just popped into my head, perhaps a culmination of the player burn-out issue that was discussed this week plus watching the Arsenal - Man Utd game earlier. The leading players seem to be getting younger and younger. In that game the best players were Fabregas, Rooney, Ronaldo, Adebayor etc., all in their very early 20's. Add in Nani, Anderson, Walcott, Messi et al too and it seems players are getting younger.

I said in another thread that I thought Gerrard was past his best and he's only 28 or something, traditionally the peak for a footballer. Am I dreaming things or are footballers peaking much younger?

 

[SuitsBlue]

the reasons are ten fold.

take a whopper like bowyer, was a quality player, played some good football at leeds, CL experience, goals, BUT, [Poor language removed] up off the field and was never the same player again. the shadow of that particular off field incident supplied ammunition to team mates and opposition players alike. lead to numerous bust ups and fall outs.

player: michael ball - knee injury, long rehabilitation, didnt play enough football, got moved around and didnt settle.

player: VDM - was the stone cold nuts in a quality ajax side, full dutch international, but family problems and personal demons ruined him in italy and his numerous chances on merseyside.

what im mentioning is that model pro's like dennis irwin, ryan giggs, paul scholes all look after themselves, no swanning around in celebrity excess, paying due respect to injury and rehabilitation, not living the lifestyle of playboys banging 3 models at a time.

the question i am led to is, has the volume of money in football led clubs to seize upon youth because naturally gifted kids can be coached and sold on if necessary? looking at the way arsenal work, they have let numerous players go, hughes, pennant, upson, cole, - all products of their youth policy, all went for profit.
Are arsenal in a privileged position to do this? very possibly as their scouting network on the continent appears to be second to none.

keepers peak at different times, i suppose its the position that can be the most unusual in terms of the variety of player there - barthez, martyn, cech. all had/have different strengths.

i digress. i suggest the position determines the amount of strain on a player.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I'm thinking of modern times really, because although I appreciate the case of Irwin, Giggs and Scholes (although he did retire from internationals at 29), they all started out in the game over a decade ago.

If you compile a list of the best players in the world at the moment, most will be under 25, and many in their very early 20's or even teens. I don't think this would have been the case in the past.

 

[SuitsBlue]

depends how you view 'best players in the world'

certain positions on the pitch garner more attention and adoration than others.

world his royal highness prince beckham be half the brand/player he is/was without the freekicks?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Back of an envelope list would probably include:

Kaka
Ronaldo
Fabregas
Messi
Drogba

Of those, only Drogba is over 25. Then you have the likes of Rooney and Torres, Villa, Tevez et al. Ronaldinho is already showing signs of being past his peak. Gerrard too. Henry is arguably over the hill at 29. Shevchenko is only 31 but looks a shadow of the player he was at Milan. Still fine players certainly but not the forces of old.

You could even argue that Drogba is an exception because he arrived at the very top quite late in his career. The exception does appear to be in defence but in attacking positions players do seem to be getting younger and younger.

 

[SuitsBlue]

are some players '[Poor language removed] or bust'

or are some in the game for 'the long haul'?

 

[Rook]

All players peak at different times due to different circumstances. However players such as Gerard might be on the decline at 28 because players today are faster and run alot more in a match. Plus playing almost 80 matches/year takes a toll on your body.

In the US we have Landon Donovan who looked like Cesc Fabergas when he was just 19. Soon after that around the 2002 WC he decided he didn't like football anymore (he just plays it becasue he's pretty good at it and it pays the mortage for the beach house) and is now just a shell of what he once was as a teen. He's at the age (25-27) in which we should be talk about him being one of the 10 best players in the world, he has that much talent. Instead he's dropped off so much that he may not be one of the 10 best MLS players.

We also have Clint Dempsey who at 24 is just starting to scratch the surface of what he's capable of. He toiled for 5-6 years at Furman University and MLS with crappy coaching and infeior competetion. In just 6 months his game has improved as much at Fulham as it has over the past 4-5 years. If he was in a European league at 18 he could possibly be a 10million pound rated player at his current age (actually maybe he already is - he's better than Fernandes and the closest player in the league to Cahill - he also knocked in another goal this weekend).

 

[SuitsBlue]

perhaps modern day circumstance has emphasized the need for commitment.

If players are dedicated to the game and their time in it professionally then they will look after themselves...

...once upon a time the english game was surrounded by lager, cocaine, and cheap women. foreign players are pointed to in respects to the ''clean living'' dedication the game sees now. But is it consistent?

looking at west ham, the problems under pardew, gambling, fights in clubs, fast cars, faster women... is it any wonder that youth coupled with obscene amounts of money stray from the rails?

lets face it, bad behaviour sells papers.

I wonder how late teen early twenties players deal with success and stardom, because who can they trust? the friends they made as kids that are working 9 to 5? spivs and charlatans they meet in restaurants and clubs? so they rely on their team mates, who else has so much in common with them - so much free cash - so much free time - celebrity is thrust on some, do they all have the grounding and family to support them?

 

[blue76]

This is an excellent question. I opened the thread thinking we would be saying that players are playing for longer so the peak is pushed back to perhaps their early thirties. But honestly it does seem players are better when they are younger. I'd like to be a traditionalist even in the current environment and say if a player looks after himself then the peak is when they are 29.

Perhaps there is no peak anymore in the old sense. Perhaps a peak is reached and then everything possible is done to maintain it to for about 6 or 7 years.

 

[CanadaToffee]

Seems like some players peak around the 93rd minute

 

[SuitsBlue]

im doing my bestest to resist.

:bites tongue: