Cristiano Ronaldo turns 36 this Friday, February 5, and he does so in the middle of a spectacular season. He is currently the leading scorer in Serie A, coming off a two-time Italian league championship and on his way to becoming the top scorer in history.
The level he maintains at 36 is completely atypical. It’s not common for strikers to stay at such a high level at 36, even playing in quality leagues. Since he turned 35, Cristiano Ronaldo has played 37 games and scored 38 goals, in addition to providing 8 assists.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his goal with Juventus Getty Images
19 players who ever won the Ballon d’Or were retired at age 36, including five who won it more than once: Michel Platini, Marco van Basten, Kevin Keegan, Ronaldo and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Players with whom he shared the court, either as a teammate or as a rival, and who won the Ballon d’Or were also retired at 36. Zidane, Kaká, Schevchenko, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo.
2 Related
Among players born in 1985, only Fernandinho (Manchester City) and Daniele Padelli (Inter) keep playing in a team of the 5 major leagues in Europe. Padelli has not played in the league since February 16 of last year.
Among other prominent players who were born in 1985, Wayne Rooney, Phillipe Senderos and Mario Gomez have already retired. Lukas Podolski plays for Antalyaspor in Turkey. Juanfran and Diego are active in the Brazilian league and Guillermo Ochoa is a goalkeeper in Mexico.
HISTORICAL
Historic players like Maradona, Pelé, George Best, Eusebio and Cruyff were already closer to retirement and playing in the minor leagues at this age. We review the careers of these brilliant players at the age of CR7 and how they fared afterwards.
Diego Armando Maradona (36 years old on October 30, 1996)
He played for Boca Juniors. He was conducting an awareness campaign for drug use. He did not score a goal again and played just 3 professional games between his 36 and 37 years. The season before his 36th birthday, he scored 5 goals in 24 games with Boca.
Pelé (36 years old on October 23, 1976)
He finished playing his second season in the New York Cosmos of the NASL. He played 24 games and scored 15 goals in that competition. His team was eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the conference semifinals by a score of 3-1. From 36 to 37 years old, Pelé played 31 games and scored 17 goals. Together with Franz Beckenbauer he was champion with the Cosmos in the 1977 season.
Johan Cruyff (36 years old on April 25, 1983)
He played his penultimate season as a professional footballer for Ajax Amsterdam. He helped Ajax win the Eredivisie title with 7 goals in 21 games before reaching 36. Between the 35 and 36 he played 22 games in all competitions and scored 7 goals. It would be his last year with the Godenzonen, before ending his career at Feyenoord, being champion with them in the 1983-84 season. Between the ages of 36 and 37, he played 47 games and scored 14 goals.
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Gerd Müller (36 years old on November 3, 1981)
One of the men who, like Cristiano Ronaldo, surpassed the 700 goal mark. He had been retired for at least 2 months after spending his final year at the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. In his last season he played 17 games and scored 5 goals. He did not make the first or second all-star teams of the season.
Eusebio (36 years old on January 25, 1978)
He was a member of the Uniao of the Portuguese third division, after a year dividing efforts between Las Vegas Quicksilvers and Beira-Mar. He played 10 games starting at the age of 36, 9 of them in the New Jersey Americans of the American Soccer League. He scored 5 goals with said team. He received $ 20,000 for the 9 games, the biggest contract in the league at the time. Between the ages of 35 and 36, he played 30 games and scored 6 goals.
George Best (36 years old on May 22, 1982)
The 1968 Ballon d’Or was playing in the Hong Kong league in 1982, when he turned 36. In 1981 he played for the San Jose Earthquakes of the NASL and finished in the second team of the NASL All Stars, as a substitute for Vladislav Bogicevic. He scored 13 goals in 33 games between the ages of 35 and 36. After this age he played 10 games and did not score a goal again.
Bobby Charlton (36 years old on October 11, 1973)
Sir Bobby Charlton had just left Manchester United after scoring 249 goals in 758 games for the Red Devils. He spent a year without playing at the Prest North End and was relegated to the third division with that club. He played until age 43 for league teams in Wales, Ireland, Australia and South Africa.
OLDER IN THE ELITE
Now, some historical players still had flashes of brilliance as they reached 36 years old. Has anyone achieved what Cristiano Ronaldo is doing? Which players continued to dominate the elite at age 36 and over?
Romario (36 years old on January 29, 2002)
The greatest example of longevity among world elite players could be Romario, who at 36 was playing in the Brazilian First Division with Vasco Da Gama. He was a scorer for Brasileirao at 35 and scored 40 goals in 39 games between the ages of 35 and 36. From the age of 36 he won the Qatar Super Cup, he was the top scorer for the Brasileirao once, the top scorer and the most valuable player in the USL. From the age of 38 he played 189 games and scored 118 goals in Brazil, the United States and Qatar. He played his last first division game in November 2007, at the age of 41.
Ferenc Puskás (36 years old on April 1, 1963)
The most prolific European scorer of the 1950s and 1960s was still at Real Madrid at the age of 36. Between 35 and 36, he scored 39 goals in 39 games, even surpassing what Cristiano Ronaldo did. Pichichi was consecrated in the Spanish league 2 times from the age of 36, in addition to winning 3 leagues, a Champions League and being the leading scorer in the European Cup. From the age of 36 he played 83 games and scored 63 goals, all for Real Madrid.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (36 years old on October 3, 2017)
ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP via Getty Images
Zlatan turns 40 next October and is also a player who defies time with his long-lived production. Since he was 36, he has scored 70 goals in 101 games between the MLS LA Galaxy and Milan. He scored 22 goals in 35 between his 35s and 36s.
Alfredo Di Stéfano (36 years old on July 7, 1962)
The saeta Rubia was a member of Real Madrid at the age of Cristiano Ronaldo. He was coming from a season in which he scored 22 goals in 41 games for the Merengues. At the age of 36 and one day he became champion of the Copa del Rey (At that time Copa del Generalísimo). At 36 he scored 21 goals in just 24 games. As of reaching that age, he played 112 matches in the Spanish First Division and scored 49 goals.
Hugo Sánchez (36 years old on July 11, 1994)
The Pentapichichi was one of the most prolific scorers of the 20th century. At 36 he returned to Mexico to play for Atlante, after playing the previous year with Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish First Division. Between the ages of 35 and 36, he scored 17 goals in 35 games and participated in his third World Cup in the United States in 1994. At age 36, he scored 13 goals in 31 games in the Mexican First Division. From the age of 36 he played 88 First Division matches distributed between Mexico, the United States and Austria. He scored 32 goals in those games.
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Roberto Baggio (36 years old on February 18, 2003)
Baggio played for Brescia in Serie A at age 36. His goals helped put his team in ninth position and with access to the Intertoto Cup. He scored 11 goals in 23 games between the ages of 35 and 36, all in Serie A. There would still be another season left at the top circuit for Baggio. He scored 16 goals in 36 games after turning 36.
HONORIFIC MENTION
Stanley Matthews (36 years old on February 1, 1951) The first Ballon d’Or in history was also the oldest player to play an English First Division match. Stanley Matthews played with 50 years and 5 days on February 6, 1965 the last game in his career in England, in a Stoke City vs Fulham. At 36 he played for Blackpool in the English First Division, at 41 he would receive the Ballon d’Or. From 1951 he played 350 games and scored 18 goals. Can Cristiano reach the years that Matthews played?