Longevity of soccer players

I've been noticing athletes lasting a lot longer in their professional careers. You can see athletes in the four major sports in the US (football, basketball, baseball, and hockey) last well into their late 30s and even in to there mid 40s like Chris Chelios of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings.

I was surprised to see that Zidane was retiring prior to turning 35 and it was suggested that Beckham might retire last year. This is a sport that isn't as physically punishing like football or hockey so I don't understand why these guys don't last. There are other less punishing sports like volleyball or distance running where you see athletes still competing and succeeding beyond 35 so why don't soccer players last?

 

Thats an excellent point you come up with. I guess, soccer punishes you more than any other sport. As far as basketball or baseball is concerned, you do not have to be involved continuously, but sporadically.

Soccer demands a grueling 90 mins at a stretch and it gets difficult on the other side of 35, especially when pesky seventeen and eighteen year olds dribble around you in circles !

 

Not only the 90 minutes of the match but all the training they have to put into it each week. It must be a lot harder than we think being a professional footballer.

 

Grueling? I watch a lot of club soccer in person, on Fox Soccer Channel, and occasionally make it to an MLS game and I watch the whole field and most players are standing, walking or doing a slow jog for most of the 90 plus minutes. So it's much less grueling than marathon running, cycling, distance swimming, triathlons, and those athletes last much longer. Punishing sports are sports like ice hockey, football, boxing, olympic wrestling, and those that involving frequent impact.

I am wondering if it may be the strength and conditioning coaching or the physical training techniques. They should be able to last into their thirties even against kids. It also may be that many of them are natural sprinters and lose speed with the long slow distance they run in games and practices.

 

Football (soccer) is played over a nine month or so period, and for most players this means 45-60 games in that time. This in turn is in bad conditions and in the winter on bad pitches. They get a two month break in the summer and sometimes play through the summer in the World Cup or European Championships. There are players who play into the late 30's and even early 40's, Romario and Teddy Sheringham are two examples. Injuries are more common from playing football (soccer) and some players are forced to retire early. In this day and age young kids are harder to play against and therefore older players call it a day a lot earlier to take up other jobs in football (soccer) like coaching or management etc.

 

You forget the number of games people play day in and day out, especially in the major leagues. League games, Cup ties, International games and friendlies- they all take their toll on you.

Most of the people play at the top clubs till they are a little above 30, and then chose to move to the Middle East to play. The situation there isn't as demanding

 

One really can not compare the MLS or the Middle East with European leagues. The pace and the tempo of the game in Europe is faster and footballers end up playing a lot more than we think.

Also notice that the retirement age of the goalkeepers is generally above 35. Jens Lehmann, E-VDS are above 35 and yet they hold their place in the starting line-up of their teams.

 

What we also seem to forget is that 20 years ago footballers had to play until they could afford to retire, whereas todays footballers have enough money to retire before they turn 25. Players like C Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney can in reality retire now as they have enough money to do so. I think once a player turn 30 nowadays then most of them can afford to retire. Some stay on bwecause they enjoy it but others have made enough out of the game and want to enjoy a break from it. 12 years of professional football can take it's toll on a 30-35 year old footballer.

 

Having enough money to retire angle may be the best answer. In the US, athletes may have over $100,000,000 in the bank the first day they sign as a pro as they will have endorsement deals already in place. Guys like Chris Chelios that I mentioned earlier also develop business like restaurants and car dealership networks and can retire by thirty but it's not common that they decide to quit early. There is still a work ethic in the States where many wish they could retire early but most work longer than they need to.

 

Well I agree with that, but you do have to consider that soccer is a very tiring sport. Running around without having the chance to catch your breath for a line change (like they do in the NHL), or sitting down in the dug-out. My guess would be that the younger guys are just faster and it's hard for guys to keep up after 35.

Still, I do think the physical aspect of hockey and football far outweighs that. All the more credit should go to guys like Chelios and of course, the all-time greatest in longevity, the great Gordie Howe. (I hate Chelios though, he's cheap as hell).

 

Well soccer is more based on capacity then force

Plus professional soccer players run like 10 kilometers/ match that mutch higher i bet a hockey player doesn't the same

And there are olso exceptions in evry sport tell me if all the american footbalers ritie at 40 no they don'y

The same is in soccer a good exemple is Paulo Maldini 38 years and whant's to play one more year and he plays since 17 at AC Milan and won any thropy posible

Alexandro Costacurta olso Ac Milan retired this year at like 41 years and so on

 

A player may walk/jog/run/sprint as much as 10,000 meters or 6.22 miles in a soccer game which is not that far if you are fit. Back in the day, I ran marathons and ran as much as 350 miles in one month. If you are fit, 10k even with occasional sprints is not a big issue. If you are fit, recovery is fast.

Chelios was worthy of hate and could be considered cheap...until he got to the Red Wings. The funny thing is some people thought Bill Lambeer was a dirty player. Crazy!