'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAFAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABf/aAAgBAQAAAAAUf//EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX/2gAIAQIQAAAAC//EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/2gAIAQMQAAAAD//EACAQAAEDAwUBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABRITFiExYZP/2gAIAQEAAT8Al2CDboq7eyw1k82hDcgJxW0UkpyHp7NbPinnWPyTX//EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAxRC/9oACAECAQE/ALkz0f/EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAAMh/9oACAEDAQE/ALHYHJ//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Football has always been a sport that has been defined by the fitness, speed, and physical presence of a player. Most believe that football is a sport for the youth, given their superior physical traits over those who on the wrong side of the age spectrum.
However, when the top two players of a sport are 35 and 33, it makes one wonder what the true impact of a player above the age of 30 can be on a football team.
Many top European clubs such as Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Manchester United, and Chelsea are going through a sort of revolution, wherein they are looking to start a new era at the club by signing young talents who may become world-beaters if developed and guided in the right direction.
The teams that have achieved success in recent times, however, have talismanic players or captains that lead their teams like generals. The Champions of Europe, Bayern Munich, owe much of their success to 32-year-old Polish hitman Robert Lewandowski.
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos led the club to the league title last season, contributing ten goals from the centre-back position at the age of 34. Cristiano Ronaldo scored 31 goals in the Serie A last season, leading Juventus to the league title at the age of 35.
Therefore, the impact of players above the age of 30 can never be diminished. Football may be heading towards a more youthful approach, but the requirement for experienced individuals, who have the quality and footballing knowledge to change and win games, will never be lost.
That said, here are the top ten active players in world football who are above the age of 30.
#10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Many wondered whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be able to have the same impact on a top European team after the anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in 2017 while on duty with Manchester United. The giant Swede spent a season in the MLS where he rediscovered his scoring touch, before joining AC Milan.
Ibrahimovic was meant to be a player that would motivate other players in the dressing room at AC Milan, and to make an impact on the pitch when given the chance. The striker has, however, become the spearhead of the AC Milan attack, scoring 14 goals in just 20 games.
The 39-year-old has become a crucial part of an AC Milan team that seems to be rejuvenating after years in the abyss. Ibrahimovic extended his contract with Milan till the summer of 2021, but with the way the Swede is playing, he may have a few more good years left in him.
#9 Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez is regarded as one of the best strikers in the modern game. The Uruguayan was unceremoniously kicked out of Barcelona, but his contribution to the club during his six years at the Camp Nou was astonishing.
In his second season at the club, Suárez won his first Pichichi Trophy as well as his second European Golden Shoe, for which he became the first player since 2009 to win both awards after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Suarez scored 147 goals for Barcelona in 191 games.
He is also Uruguay's all-time leading goalscorer. At 33 Suarez still has a lot to offer to the game of football, which is why Atletico Madrid snapped him up this summer. Suarez scored two goals and laid an assist on his debut for Atletico.
#8 Giorgio Chiellini
At 36, Giorgio Chiellini is still regarded as one of the best defenders in the game. The Italian is a true warrior and is the gold standard for old school defenders who put their bodies on the line for their team.
At Juventus, Chiellini has won nine consecutive Serie A titles from 2012 to 2020 and four consecutive Coppa Italia titles and four Supercoppa Italiana titles. Chiellini has been named in the Serie A Team of the Year five times: in 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18 and 2018–19 and has been awarded the Serie A Defender of the Year award three times: in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Chiellini is entering the final stages of his career but is still putting out world-class performances for a top European club, which earns him a place in the top 10 players over 30.
#7 Luka Modric
Luka Modric is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation and the greatest Croatian footballer of all-time. The 35-year-old was voted as the worst transfer of the season in his first year at Real Madrid, but what he has gone on to achieve with the club is beyond astonishing.
He has won 17 major trophies at Real Madrid, including four UEFA Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and three FIFA Club World Cup trophies.
Modric has also achieved a large amount of personal success during his eight years at Real Madrid. In 2015, he became the first Croatian player to be included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI, in which he was regularly included until 2019.
In 2018, Modrić became the first Croatian player to win the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, and by winning The Best FIFA Men's Player and Ballon d'Or awards, he became the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the both awards in more than a decade.
At 35, the midfielder still oozes class and controls games from midfielder for Real Madrid, as he led them to their first La Liga title in four years last season.
#6 Toni Kroos
The inclusion of the German midfielder in this elite list may come as a shock to many, but his impact on the Real Madrid team and the German national team warrants a place for him.
At Real Madrid, Toni Kroos became a vital part of the team under head coaches Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane, as he helped Real win three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles from 2015 to 2016 to 2017–18.
Kroos played a starring role for Real Madrid, as the club captured a La Liga title in 2017 when he was also chosen for the team of the season. He also won another league title with Los Blancos in 2020. In 2014, Kroos led his country to victory in that year's World Cup, where he was the top assist provider and was named in the All-Star team and Dream Team.
In a game that has been dominated by forwards over the last decade, Kroos has orchestrated games from midfielder for club and country, making him one of the best midfielders in the world.
#5 Manuel Neuer
Many wondered if the German goalkeeper was finished due to the amount of time he spent on the sidelines, thanks to recurring injuries. Manuel Neuer has always been regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world and of all time, but his form and fitness over the last few seasons has made people question his future and relevance to Bayern Munich and the German national team.
Neuer, however, proved his doubters wrong last season, as he rolled back the years and put in a string of brilliant displays in Bayern Munich road to the treble. Neuer has rediscovered his magic and his fitness, which have helped him regain his status as one of the best shot-stoppers in the game of football.
The 34-year-old is the captain of the German national side and Bayern Munich. He will look to provide his teams with much-needed experience and solidity, as they both prepare to go through a revolution of sorts.
#4 Sergio Ramos
Much like Giorgio Chiellini, Sergio Ramos is a fighter and a general for the teams he plays for. The Spaniard has been at Real Madrid for 15 years, making 459 La Liga appearances. He is the captain for both his club and national team and is Spain's most capped player with 175 appearances.
At Real Madrid, Ramos has won 22 major honors, including five La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles, becoming one of La Liga's top goalscorers from a defensive position. He played a starring role in Real Madrid's four UEFA Champions League wins and was named in the competition's Team of the Season each time.
He won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship in 2008 and 2012 and was also named in the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2010 and the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament in 2012.
Ramos' goal scoring record as a defender is simply astonishing. He scored ten goals for Real Madrid last season, as he led them to their first La Liga triumph in four seasons. At 34, Ramos does not seem to be slowing down and is still an integral part of both the Real Madrid and Spanish national team.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo never seems to stop. It is quite unbelievable that the Portuguese international will turn 36 years-old next season and is still posting the numbers that he is. Ronaldo's game has changed a lot since his days as a winger at Manchester United. He has become a goal-scoring machine, solely intent on winning games and getting the ball into the back of the net.
Ronaldo joined Juventus in the summer of 2018. Many fans and pundits thought that this would be his last hurrah, but as always, the Portuguese star proved his critics wrong. In his two seasons with the Italian giants, the 35-year-old has led the club to back to back Serie A titles, scoring 65 goals in that time in all competitions for the club.
Ronaldo now has his eyes firmly set on leading Juventus to Champions League glory and helping Portugal defend their European championship title at Euro 2021.
#2 Lionel Messi
Like Ronaldo, many thought the performances and standards of Lionel Messi would wane once he crossed the age of 30. The Argentine genius is, however, still the talisman of FC Barcelona and the Argentina national side at the age of 33.
Messi has remained at the top of world football since he made his debut all the way back in 2004. The 33-year-old has been in search of a new project in recent times and was as close as he has ever been to leaving Barcelona this summer. However, he decided to stay and help the club return to the top of Spain and European football.
Messi has won an amazing six Ballon d'Or awards, more than any other football player in the history of the game. He is also Barcelona and Argentina's leading goal-scorer of all time. The genius and brilliance of Lionel Messi can never be questioned and he is still one of the best players in the world.
#1 Robert Lewandowski
The Polish hitman is in the form of his life. Robert Lewandowski, like fine wine, seems to get better with age. He had his most prolific goal-scoring season last year at the age of 31, where he scored 55 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich. He also became the second player ever to win the European treble, while being the top scorer in all three competitions.
In Munich, he has won the Bundesliga title in each of his first six seasons, and in 2016–17 and 2019–20, he was named the Bundesliga Player of the Season.
Lewandowski has earned over 110 caps and was a member of the Polish national team at UEFA Euro 2012, Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. With 63 international goals, Lewandowski is the all-time top scorer for Poland.
Many would argue that if the Ballon d'Or was not canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lewandowski would have won the coveted award. Lewandowski has had a stellar start to the 2020-21 campaign, scoring seven goals and registering four assists in seven games across all competitions.
