When Manchester United signed Edinson Cavani and Chelsea brought in Thiago Silva in the 2020 summer transfer window, eyebrows were raised.
The pair’s reputations meant they would command substantial salaries. But at 33 and 36 respectively, questions were asked about how they might cope with the physical intensity of the Premier League.
Cavani and Silva have both answered emphatically. A period to adapt to their new working environments was required, but since settling both have been outstanding.
Yet we should not be surprised. Look across Europe. In Italy, Cristiano Ronaldo, 35, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 39, are first and third in the race to be crowned capocannioniere. In Spain, 34-year-old David Silva has shone for Real Sociedad, while Luis Suarez, 33, has scored a league-leading 14 goals in 16 matches since his summer move from Barcelona to put Atletico Madrid top of La Liga.
Closer to home, the story is similar. Jamie Vardy continues to run defences ragged at 34. Fernandinho remains a fine player aged 35. James Milner chugs ceaselessly up and down the Anfield pitch, defying his own 35 years.
A select few footballers have always managed to carry on into their late 30s or even 40s. But whereas once they might have dropped down the divisions or spent their twilight years in less taxing leagues, more now remain at the elite level.
A study entitled “Are Soccer Players Older Now Than Before?”, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in 2019, showed that the older players populating Europe’s elite competitions are not outliers but part of a growing trend.
From 1992-93 to 2017-18, the average age of Champions League footballers went up from 24.9 to 26.5. The same article also suggested that players in all positions are now peaking later.
The obvious question is why? Ask the players and they will often point to their own exceptional psychological qualities. Yet while a certain mindset is essential, it is not the only explanation for these players’ longevity, according to Richard Allen, the director of football at Loughborough University.
Allen, who previously worked as academy director at Tottenham and QPR and head of talent identification at the FA, says that as well as the “elite behaviour” of players like Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo, Thiago Silva and Cavani, there are a “multitude” of contributing factors.
“The modern-day pitch is much better, the equipment is much better, the referees referee the game differently; you’re not getting smashed up in the air. That’s coupled with the emergence of sports science, [and] strength and conditioning.”
The generation reaching their mid-30s now, Allen says, is the first to have had such privileges since they were young professionals, with a key shift taking place around 15 years ago.
Allen also brings up the enormous financial incentive to keep playing and to invest in their own wellbeing. “If you can get another five years on Premier League wages, you could earn £20m. That focuses the mind.”
Despite occasional news stories of drunken mishaps, Allen says, most players are now almost tee-total, and many will pay personal trainers to accompany them on their summer holidays. “You see players who have altitude chambers at home. They’ll go and get into an ice bath after training. They have a chef at home and drivers. It’s worth the investment.”
Likewise, clubs have realised that if they are spending huge money on transfer fees and players’ wages, then it is worth protecting those investments by providing state-of-the-art facilities.
“You don’t have to go to the local swimming pool anymore”, Allen says. “Pre-season, they’re doing eye tests, they’re doing blood tests, they’re doing dental work. It’s not just to ensure you get the best performance out of them week on week, it’s to have that longevity.”
Years ago, a cruciate ligament injury might have meant a player “crashed down to non-league”, Allen says. “Now you can get back to [Premier League] level because you’re getting keyhole surgery and good rehab support.”
That players are managing to reach their mid-30s in excellent physical condition may also have an impact on transfer and contract policies. Traditionally, players over 30 are viewed as a risk, with clubs unwilling to pay transfer fees for them or hand them deals that run for more than a season.
According to the Frontiers in Psychology article, however, that aversion to older players “is based mainly on anecdotal evidence and views of professionals in the game and less on scientific research”.
Dr Bill Gerrard, professor of business management at Leeds University Business School and a specialist in sports analytics, agrees that players are maintaining a high level for longer.
He adds: “A logical consequence of that would be the possibility of longer contracts to protect transfer values being diminished by players leaving on free transfers when out of contract.”
Yet Dr Gerrard does add some caveats: “This has to be offset by the higher risk for veteran players of injury and curtailment of playing time, and the financial costs involved in committing to high salaries.
“There is also the issue of what other clubs would be prepared to pay as a transfer fee for a player aged 30 plus. In my experience, clubs seem to remain more concerned about the risk of locking themselves into high salary payments for veteran players who suffer significant injury rather than the loss of potential transfer value.
“So, although clubs may be prepared to offer more two-to-three-year extensions to veterans, typically they will link this to a lower guaranteed basic salary and a much higher percentage of the player’s salary being performance-related.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3rj7jnv
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