World Cup of veterans

Never before has the World Cup brought together dozens of "veterans" aged around 40 like this year's tournament. Many of these veterans will enter the 2026 World Cup as attacking stars for their respective teams. Will they make a difference?

WORLD CUP KING… THE OLDEST EVER

In the entire history of the 22 previous World Cups, only 7 players have ever played at the age of 40 or older: Essam El Hadary (Egypt, 2018, then 45 years old), Faryd Mondragon (Colombia, 2014, 43 years old), Ali Boumnijel (Tunisia, 2006, 40 years old), Roger Milla (Cameroon, 1994, 42 years old), Peter Shilton (England, 1990, 41 years old), Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland, 1986, 41 years old), and Dino Zoff (Italy, 1982, 40 years old). Except for Milla, all 6 of the remaining players were goalkeepers. It's well known that goalkeepers are generally much older than other players.

Luka Modric (left) is still very useful to the Croatian national team.

Photo: AFP

At the 1994 World Cup, Milla only played twice in the group stage, both times as a substitute. In the first match (a 0-3 loss to Brazil), Milla became the first forward (i.e., not a goalkeeper) in World Cup history to play at the age of 40 or older. This record still stands today. In the second match, he upgraded his record, not only playing but also scoring (Cameroon lost to Russia 1-6).

At the 2014 World Cup, Mondragon was Colombia's reserve goalkeeper. He only came on for the last five minutes of the final group stage match, when the outcome was already decided. At the 2018 World Cup, goalkeeper El Hadary only appeared in the final group stage match, when his Egyptian team had already been eliminated. Clearly, the inclusion of Milla, Mondragon, and El Hadary was primarily for the purpose of setting an age record, rather than for actual playing time.

The 2026 World Cup now has exactly 7 players aged 40 or older on the rosters of the participating teams – equaling the total number from all 22 previous World Cups combined: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, 41), Luka Modric (Croatia, 41), Edin Dzeko (Bosnia, 40), Manuel Neuer (Germany, 40), Craig Gordon (Scotland, 43), Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico, 41), and Vozinha (Cape Verde, 40). Of these, only 4 are goalkeepers, the rest being 3 renowned attacking stars.

That's just the statistics for players aged 40 and above. Compared to them, Lionel Messi (Argentina) is still quite young, at only 38 years old (he will turn 39 during the World Cup). There are nearly a dozen other top players in their 38s and 40s. And that's not even counting other veterans who are even younger, even though they've been familiar faces on the international stage for over a decade, such as Neymar (Brazil, 34 years old), N'Golo Kante (France, 35 years old), Jordan Henderson (England, 36 years old)...

IT'S NOT JUST A CASE OF "THE OLDER THE GINGER, THE SPICIER IT GETS"

There were instances of criticism, such as Ronaldo (Portugal) or Neuer (Germany). Conversely, Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni breathed a sigh of relief when Messi finally agreed to participate in the World Cup again. The situation with Dzeko is even clearer, as he represents the best product Bosnia has to offer on the international stage. In most cases, the veterans participating in this year's World Cup aren't doing so simply because it's the biggest football event on the planet.

Ronaldo is a special case. A Portuguese Football Federation official once asked a reporter: "Who will advertise and sponsor when Ronaldo's face is no longer associated with the national team? Will he introduce a new source of revenue?" For his part, Ronaldo has his own milestones that he must aim for, and he will strive to achieve them with all his might. Sometimes, this motivation is even more important than health or professional ability. He himself holds the record for scoring in five consecutive World Cups (without sharing it with anyone). If he scores again in this year's tournament, it could be a record that no one will ever surpass. Looking further ahead, Ronaldo is also aiming for his 1,000th goal (he already has 973). Who in the world is more eager and determined than him to seize every opportunity to score?

With Modric, the ability to deliver a pass from 40 meters to instantly create a scoring opportunity is a unique quality that younger, fitter players can't easily match. With Neuer, it's his experience in observing and commanding his teammates like a coach on the field (Neuer is even older than coach Julian Nagelsmann). They say "the older the ginger, the spicier it gets," but it seems the value of these veterans at this World Cup is even greater than that saying.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/world-cup-cua-nhung-lao-tuong-185260602204107757.htm