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Gone are the days when footballers hitting their peak between the ages of 25 and 30 was the norm. Thanks to a renewed focus on dietary regimes and an overall improvement in training routines, footballers these days perform at a very high level for prolonged periods.
That's why so many of the best footballers in the world right now are either in their 30s or are closing in on it. Back in the day, it was mostly goalkeepers of defenders who used to be able to sustain their form well into their 30s. But today, some of the best midfielders and forwards in the game are well into their 30s.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best players above the age of 30 this season.
#5 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Kevin De Bruyne is undoubtedly one of the finest attacking midfielders of the modern era. The Belgian international has arguably been Manchester City's most important player under Pep Guardiola. He has gone from strength to strength with each passing season, winning the 'PFA Players' Player of the Year' award in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He has been in sensational form this term as well.
Not only does De Bruyne play some incredibly innovative defence-splitting passes on a regular basis, but he also scores plenty of goals. He is a very decisive presence in and around the final third. The 30-year-old's form has been crucial to Manchester City's exploits across all competitions this term.
In 37 appearances across all competitions for the Cityzens so far this term, De Bruyne has scored 14 goals and provided eight assists.
#4 Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
Luka Modric is the only player other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or in the last 13 years. He won it in 2018 and, having already turned 32 by then, fans believed that Modric was already in the twilight of his career.
But the Croatia international had other ideas. He is 36 years old now but has been one of the best midfielders in the world this season. Modric's ball progression abilities combined with his incredible range of passing make him a threat like no other.
Most recently, he stole the limelight with a wonderful outside-of-the-boot pass to Rodrygo Goes in Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-final second leg tie against Chelsea. Modric produced that moment of magic with just 10 minutes remaining on the clock with his team trailing by a goal.
But that wasn't even surprising as Modric has been turning in quality performances throughout the season. In 37 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid so far this term, Modric has scored three goals and provided nine assists.
#3 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk is arguably the best centre-back in the world right now. He is an absolute colossus in defense for Liverpool and has played a huge part in fortifying Anfield in recent seasons. The Dutchman is already being hailed as an all-time great and it's hard to disagree with that line of thought.
Take this for a stat: Van Dijk has only been dribbled past three times in 35 appearances across the Premier League and Champions League for Liverpool this season. He is such a calm presence at the back that he never dives into a tackle and very seldom makes reckless decisions.
Van Dijk has been in imperious form for Jurgen Klopp's side in the ongoing campaign. The club has the second-best defense in the league, conceding 22 goals in 31 games. Liverpool suffered greatly in the 2020-21 season when Van Dijk was sidelined through an ACL injury. Now that he is back, they are mounting a challenge on all fronts and could yet finish the season with a continental treble.
#2 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Robert Lewandowski is arguably the greatest striker of his generation. He has been world-class for more than a decade now and continues to make goalscoring look as easy as learning ABC. No striker is more prolific across Europe's top five leagues than Lewandowski.
He has scored 47 goals and provided three assists in just 41 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich so far this season. An unceremonious exit from the Champions League quarter-finals against Villarreal aside, Lewandowski has had yet another wonderful season.
He is 33 now but it looks like he has several more years left in his tank.
#1 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has come up clutch multiple times for his side this season. It has become unthinkable for them to go into a big game without him as the Frenchman has been in sublime form for Real Madrid this term.
He has wreaked havoc in the final third for Carlo Ancelotti's men with the kind of authority we haven't seen from a Real Madrid player since Cristiano Ronaldo. The 34-year-old will go down in history as a Real Madrid great and the Santiago Bernabeu faithful are finally acknowledging the greatness of their star striker.
Benzema scored a 17-minute hat-trick in the second leg of Real Madrid's Champions League Round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain. Those three goals helped them pull off an incredible comeback and helped them knock PSG out of the competition and qualify for the quarter-finals.
Benzema did not stop there and scored another hat-trick in the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Chelsea. He then proceeded to score the winning goal for Los Blancos in the second leg as well. The Frenchman has scored 38 goals in 38 games across competitons for the club, giving 13 assists. The form he is in, it looks like there is no stopping Karim Benzema.
