Ronaldo, Maldini, Buffon, Ibrahimovic, Giggs: Football's best 40-year-olds
2025-02-05
Category: sports

They say life begins at 40.Cristiano Ronaldo is about to find that out if that is true as he reaches the milestone, still scoring goals at an incredible rate.The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored twice for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr on Monday, taking his career tally to 923 goals - and is still a regular for Portugal.Which other players have still been going strong after passing the big four zero?Names like Peter Shilton, Dino Zoff, Roger Milla - or even the great Sir Stanley Matthews - will be lodged in the minds of fans of certain generations, but there have been plenty since the turn of the century too...
Francesco Totti
A one-club player, Totti made his Roma debut as a 16-year-old in 1993 and never left the Giallorossi.The legendary playmaker made a club-record 786 appearances in all competitions for his boyhood club, scoring 307 goals - another record. He was made Roma captain at just 22 - the youngest skipper in the history of Serie A - helping the club to the Italian title in 2000-01.He made his final appearance for the club on 28 May 2017, just over eight months after hitting 40.
Teddy Sheringham
Former England striker Teddy Sheringham was 42 when he hung up his boots at the end of the 2007-08 season, while at Colchester United.After impressing at Millwall as a teenager, Sheringham was snapped up by Nottingham Forest boss Brian Clough in 1991 before joining Tottenham in August 1992.He finished as the Premier League's top scorer in its inaugural season, but it was at Manchester United where Sheringham really blossomed into one of the game's finest forwards, winning three Premier League titles and netting the equaliser in the Red Devils' memorable Champions League triumph in 1999.He won the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award in 2000-01 and continues to hold the record for the oldest goalscorer in Premier League history, having netted for West Ham against Portsmouth aged 40 years and 268 days.
Romario
Regarded as one of the finest goalscorers in the history of the game, former Brazil international Romario was first thrust into the limelight after finishing top scorer at the 1988 Olympic football tournament.He enjoyed hugely prolific spells at PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona after leaving boyhood club Vasco da Gama in 1988, scoring 167 goals for those two clubs alone, before returning to Brazil with Flamengo in 1995.He netted 55 times in 70 appearances for Brazil, winning the Fifa World Player of the Year award in 1994 after scoring five goals in the Selecao's World Cup-winning campaign.He played his final game for Rio de Janeiro-based side America Football Club in November 2009, aged 43 - although he briefly came out of retirement last year to play alongside his son, Romarinho.
Javier Zanetti
Former Argentina international Javier Zanetti spent 19 years at Inter after joining Massimo Moratti's team from Banfield in 1995.Inter's record appearance maker, Zanetti played 862 times for the Nerazzurri before calling time on his playing career at the end of the 2013-14 season, three months before his 41st birthday.He won five Serie A titles and the 2010 Champions League as part of a historic treble under Portuguese boss Jose Mourinho.He is also Argentina's most-capped player, racking up 145 appearances before his international retirement in 2011.
Gianluigi Buffon
Serie A's record appearance holder and the most capped goalkeeper of all time, Gianluigi Buffon was 45 when he retired from football in August 2023.In a glittering 28-year career, the Italian won no fewer than 10 Serie A titles with Juventus as well as the World Cup in 2006.Buffon also won the 2018-19 Ligue 1 title with Paris St-Germain after leaving Serie A for the first time at the start of that campaign.But he finished his career where it all began, making 19 appearances for Parma - then in Serie B - in 2022-23 before hanging up his gloves.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Legendary Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 511 goals for some of Europe's biggest clubs, including PSG, Manchester United and both Milan sides.He won 34 trophies - including 14 league titles - and was nominated for the Ballon d'Or no fewer than 11 times.But despite a sparkling CV, he never got his hands on the Champions League trophy, with his only European title coming with the Red Devils in the form of the 2017 Europa League.Sweden's all-time top scorer with 62 goals in 122 appearances, Ibrahimovic retired from football during his second spell at AC Milan, aged 41.
Ryan Giggs
The most decorated player in English football history, former Manchester United and Wales winger Ryan Giggs won 13 league titles, four FA Cups and two Champions Leagues - among 34 trophies - at Old Trafford.He made a club-record 963 appearances for the Red Devils, as well as winning 64 caps for Wales at international level.He never played at a major international tournament with Wales but did captain Team GB at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.Giggs made his final appearance for Manchester United in a 3-1 win over Hull in May 2016 - aged 40 - before being named as assistant to then-manager Louis van Gaal.
Paolo Maldini
Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Paolo Maldini spent his entire career at AC Milan, making 902 appearances for the club.He was a Serie A title winner on seven occasions, as well as helping the Rossoneri to five Champions Leagues and a Coppa Italia in a remarkable 25-year playing career.He won 126 caps for Italy but had retired from the national team before their 2006 World Cup triumph. At club level, he ended his playing days at the age of 41 in 2009.Milan retired the number three shirt following Maldini's departure.
Kazuyoshi Miura
Forget Ronaldo, Buffon, Maldini and co though - Kazuyoshi Miura had barely reached the twilight of his career when he turned 40 in 2007.Miura, who turns 58 three weeks after Ronaldo turns 40, is still going strong, currently plying his trade for Atletico Suzuka in Japan's fourth tier.Known affectionately as 'King Kazu', Miura's career began in 1986 with Brazilian club Santos and included spells with Palmeiras, Genoa, Dinamo Zagreb, Vissel Kobe, Sydney and - more recently - Portuguese second-tier side Oliveirense.He scored 55 goals in 89 appearances for Japan between 1990 and 2000, lifting the Asian Cup in 1992 - one of 18 trophies in his career. He was also named the 1992 Asian Footballer of the Year.