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Many fine goalscorers, especially since the turn of the century, have graced the game of football over the years.
Some of them are still going strong for club and country, despite being on the wrong side of 30. These players have been performing at a high level for many years now, and have shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon. They have scored goals in the grandest of stages against the most formidable of opponents, and are still doing so.
On that note, here's a look at the ten most prolific goalscorers in league football this season who are aged 34 and above:
#10 Pedro (Lazio) - 4 goals
Pedro made news this summer when he became the first player in four decades to cross the Roma-Lazio divide. Roma released the out-of-favour Pedro from his contract even though he had a deal with them until 2023.
The 34-year-old winger scored only six times across competitions in his only season with AS Roma in 2020-21. However, he has hit the ground running at Lazio, scoring four times and providing two assists in 12 league games.
Pedro first made his name in the all-conquering Barcelona team under Pep Guardiola in the late 2000s and early 2010s. He then plied his trade with Chelsea for five years before moving to Italy.
#9 Olivier Giroud (AC Milan) - 4 goals
After almost a decade in the English top flight, Olivier Giroud embarked on a new challenge by moving to AC Milan this summer.
The 35-year-old Frenchman has hit the ground running with the Rossoneri. Giroud scored a brace against Cagliari on his home debut before netting in Milan's next two home games as well. That made Giroud only the second player in almost three decades to score in his first three home games for the Serie A giants.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has also sizzled for France and is closing in on 50 goals for his nation.
#8 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - 4 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably one of the finest players to have graced the beautiful game.
During a prolific two-decade-long career for club and country, Ronaldo has scored goals and won big titles galore. The 36-year-old has made an immediate impact on his return to his old stomping ground at Manchester United this summer.
Ronaldo has scored nine times across competitions, with four of these strikes coming in the Premier League. However, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner drawing a blank, Manchester United have lost their last two league games at home by a combined 7-0 margin.
Nevertheless, the Portugal captain will look to lead his club's resurgence and relieve the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
#7 Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo) - 5 goals
Iago Aspas has been a prolific goalscorer for Celta Vigo since his debut for the club more than a decade ago. Across two separate stints, the centre-forward has scored 171 goals in nearly 400 games across competitions for Vigo.
Aspas has been a prolific scorer in La Liga, scoring at least 14 goals in each of his last seven campaigns in the competition. The 34-year-old looks set for another goal-rich season, having already netted five times in 13 league games.
Aspas will look to play a key role as Vigo strive to fare better in La Liga this season than they did last campaign.
#6 Domenico Criscito (Genoa) - 5 goals
Unlike the other players on this list, Domenico Criscito is the only defender. Despite operating as a centre-back, the 34-year-old Genoa captain has already netted four strikes in the 2021-22 Serie A.
Overall, he former Juventus defender has scored 29 times across competitions in over 250 games for the club. Criscito is the most prolific goalscoring defender across Europe's top five leagues this season.
Criscito looks on course for his best-ever Serie A season in terms of goals; he scored eight times in the 2019-20 campaign.
#5 Radamel Falcao (Rayo Vallecano) - 5 goals
The much-travelled Radamel Falcao has hit the ground running on his arrival at Rayo Vallecano this season.
The 35-year-old has played for the likes of Porto, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea, among others. After a modest stint in Turkey with Galatasaray, Falcao has made a dazzling return to La Liga for the first time in almost a decade.
Falcao scored in each of his first three games for Vallecano, and has also netted against Barcelona and Real Madrid.
While he is unlikely to match his 2012-13 La Liga exploits, where he scored 28 goals, Falcao has certainly made a promising start.
#4 Dimitri Payet (Marseille) - 6 goals
Dimitri Payet has made a good start to his 2021-22 league campaign, netting six times and bagging four assists in ten games. The 34-year-old midfielder has also scored in Europe, netting against Apollon Limassol in the Europa League.
Payet has been a key player for Marseille over the years, bagging 65 goals and 83 assists in over 250 games across competitions.
The Euro 2016 finalist has also had a productive two-season stint in the Premier League with West Ham United.
#3 Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) - 7 goals
Jamie Vardy is one of the feel-good stories of the modern game. From playing non-league football to becoming a Premier League winner, the Leicester City striker has had a fairytale career.
The 34-year-old is one of the top active marksmen in the Premier League, having netted 125 times in seven seasons in the competition. Vardy has been on fire this campaign, scoring seven times already in the league for the Foxes.
He won the 2019-20 Premier League Golden Boot, scoring 23 goals, as Leicester City narrowly missed out on a top-four finish.
#2 Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid) - 7 goals
Luis Suarez is one of the most prolific active goalscorers in the game at the moment.
The 34-year-old centre-forward first made his name at Ajax before burgeoning his reputation as a fearsome marksman at Liverpool and Barcelona. Now at Atletico Madrid, Suarez scored 21 league goals last season to help the Rojiblancos win their first La Liga title in seven years.
Suarez has been on fire this season, having already netted seven times in 12 games, and also bagging two assists.
Deemed surplus to requirements at Barcelona, Suarez will look for another productive campaign to help Atletico successfully defend their league title.
#1 Edin Dzeko (Inter Milan) - 7 goals
Edin Dzeko is one of a handful of players to have scored at least 50 league goals in three top-five leagues in Europe.
The 35-year-old has hit the ground running on his arrival at reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan this summer. Having netted seven times in the entirety of last campaign, Dzeko has already equalled that tally in only 12 league games with Inter.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina international will look to continue his blistering start to help Inter Milan successfully defend their league title.
