Shortly after Argentina lost to France in the round of 16 match during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, analysts had already predicted that it would be his last game. World Cup bitumen “This was Lionel Messi’s last World Cup match, of course,” one said“and maybe his last game for his country.” Messi was 31 years old at the time, and many thought they had just watched his last match on football’s biggest stage.
They were wrong.
Instead, Messi returned four years later to lift the title in Qatar. Then he returned again this year at the age of 39. However, Messi is no different.
Cristiano Ronaldo41, has said that this World Cup will be his last after Portugal was eliminated in the round of 16 following the team’s defeat by Spain. Brazil’s Neymar34, too, announced his retirement from international football, as did Germany Manuel Neuer40. Meanwhile, Guillermo Ochoawho turned 41 this month, he retires from professional football after becoming the first goalkeeper to make six World Cup squads.
Even if this World Cup has felt like one long farewell, for many of these players, the farewell came years later than anyone expected.
Although there is no international dataset that compares retirement ages across generations, the evidence points to one trend: soccer elites have become aging for several decades. A Peer-reviewed 2019 study published in Frontiers of Psychology tracking nearly 30 seasons of UEFA Champions League football found the average age of players rose from 24.9 years in 1992-93 to 26.5 years by 2017-18. That situation is now on full display FIFA World Cup 2026which it was eight players in forty years—more than all previous editions combined—including the 40-year-old Cape Verdean goalkeeper. Soundone of the rising stars in the tournament.
What is surprising is that this celebration of the oldest players on the field is taking place in the era of football that gave birth teenage stars like Laminate YamalEndrick, and Bara Sapoko Ndiaye. Football doesn’t have to age because the young players are gone; it’s getting old because veterans are leaving later.
Research shows professional footballers are still reaching their physical peak mid to late twentiesalthough the actual age depends on the position. And while aging is slow, players in their thirties start to lose their explosive speed and stamina to maintain the high running speed that modern football demands more.
A long-term study Spain’s top players suffered these reported losses due to endurance were most prominent among full-backs, midfielders, and forwards, whose roles rely on explosive speed to score goals or protect their goalkeeper’s box. Center backs and midfielders, meanwhile, became more accurate passers with age, suggesting that planning, anticipation, and decision-making are increasingly compensating for fading speed.
Messi may be the best example of how elite players change with age. Instead of chasing the ball frequently, he often spends a long time walking around, studying the game before deciding exactly when to play. According to The Athletic newspaper, FIFA monitoring data shows that Messi has used 63% of his movements in this World Cup toursave energy for the most important time.
This proves that sports science hasn’t changed the biology of aging—it just changed how football clubs react. 2024 comments of athletes with extended careers found a correlation between professionals staying at the top of their sport and increased personal training.
Instead of prescribing the same program for the entire squad, coaches now plan workloads based on a player’s injury history, recovery, coping skills and physical ability.
However, as players get older, experience becomes a competitive advantage. Veteran footballers are increasingly compensating for declining fitness with sharp decision-making, game intelligence and a better understanding of their own limits.
