5 top players who are past their prime

#3 Giorgio Chiellini | Juventus

Giorgio Chiellini has been with Juventus for 16 years.

Juventus have been a force of nature in the Serie A in recent years. Giorgio Chiellini has made a name for himself as a fine defensive player at the Allianz Stadium, with his no-nonsense defending and commanding presence in the defensive third.

Though age has seemingly caught up him, considering his spate of recent injuries, Chiellini remains one of the first-choice defenders for Andrea Pirlo when fit. In the age of ball-playing defenders, Chiellini is one of the best examples of an old-school, tough-tackling centre-half.

Though the Italian player has never been known for his pace, his sluggish at times, can be attributed to his persistent injuries. His style of play also seems unsuitable for the modern game when defenders are judged for their ability on the ball.

He has just 15 appearances to his name across all competitions since last season, and it seems that Chiellini is now well past his prime.

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#2 Sergio Busquets | Barcelona

Sergio Busquets

When it comes to defensive midfielders, few can match the finesse and composure of a peak Sergio Busquets.

The La Masia graduate has won everything with Barcelona and has been delivering crucial performances for the Catalan giants away from the spotlight for the better part of the last decade and a half.

Unlike all other players in this list, the 32-year-old midfielder has been a first-choice personnel at the club, but that might be out of necessity rather than choice.

There is no real replacement for Busquets at Barcelona currently, and because of the ongoing pandemic, the club doesn't seem to have the funds to go search for one.

12 years ago, Sergio Busquets played his first game for Barcelona. Since then he's won it all 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/tQE3BogwUn

— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 13, 2020

Though the Spanish player has played over 1100 minutes in the La Liga this term, apart from his commendable 91% passing accuracy, his performances have not been up to par.

For a defensive midfielder, he makes just one interception per game; Casemiro averages twice that, and N'Golo Kante averages three tackles a game.

Busquets' ball-distribution has also taken a hit, as he only creates 0.9 key passes per 90, which only suggests that the player has been on the wane.

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#1 Marcelo | Real Madrid

Marcelo has dropped down the pecking order at Real Madrid.

Once the undisputed best left-back in the world, Marcelo now finds himself warming the bench at Real Madrid.

The Brazilian joined Real Madrid in 2007 and had been an amazing attacking outlet down the left flank for them since.

He has won everything with Los Blancos, and his partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo terrorised defenders across competitions.

However, Marcelo's form took a hit in the 2019-20 campaign, and the player has struggled to make a case for his inclusion in the starting XI.

The arrival of a faster, more technically sound defender in Ferland Mendy at the Santiago Bernabeu has meant that Marcelo played only a bit-part role in Real Madrid's 2019-20 La Liga-winning campaign.

Marcelo with a first touch as soft as Zidane! pic.twitter.com/02MiCY66p2

— M•A•J (@Ultra_Suristic) April 25, 2018

Marcelo's reactions has slowed down significantly in recent times, and the player has struggled for fitness as well.

It is quite apparent that the Brazilian's best days are now behind him.