9 players who peaked in their last years: Modric, Pirlo, Zlatan, Bierhoff…
Tradition tells us to expect footballers to be at their best in their mid to late twenties, but sometimes we feel the unexpected joy of a player reaching his peak much later.
A player's ability throughout their career generally follows a bell curve in which they gradually improve before reaching their best, then slowing down in their 30s, then retiring.< /p>
These players, however, did not follow tradition and all had the best period of their careers in their later years.
Luka ModricNo explanation required.
READ: Luka Modric and the compelling film that robbed TAA of his dignity
Andrea PirloPirlo was excellent in the 2000s, winning two Champions Leagues with AC Milan and the 2006 World Cup for Italy, but he seemed to enter a different realm in his thirties.
Playing with the royal pomp of a Renaissance pope, the midfielder led Juventus to a string of Serie A titles and his status in England soared to new heights in 2012 after knocking out Joe Hart on his buttocks with one of the most beautifully executed Panenkas. we have never seen.
With an aversion to running and a total commitment to the aesthetics of football, Pirlo was one of the best in the world until the fall of his career.
Antonio Di NataleThe ultimate late bloomer, Di Natale had never scored 20 in a single season before, aged 32 he crushed 29 for Udinese in 2009-10.
He went on to score 28, 29, 26 and 20 goals in his next four seasons, finishing as Serie A top scorer twice and winning the Italian Footballer of the Year award in 2010.
Incredibly, between 2009 and 2011, only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored more league goals in Europe, and Di Natale was still scoring goals for Udinese in 2016 when he finally retired age 38 - two years after saying he would do it.
READ: 14 great Serie A forwards who defied age: Quagliarella, Di Natale, Totti...
Zlatan IbrahimovicZlatan would say he was a world-class footballer from birth, but the Swedish striker has actually scored more than half of his career goals since he was 30.
His numbers may be slightly inflated by his four seasons with PSG in France, but whatever you think of Ligue 1, scoring 50 goals in 51 games like Ibrahimovic did aged 35 in 2016 -17 was quite remarkable.
Plus, he then headed to England for the first time in his career and scored 28 goals in a season for Manchester United before crossing the Atlantic to smash America as well.
>Now he's back at AC Milan, and an impressive second half of 2019-20 proved he shows no signs of letting up.
Tradition tells us to expect footballers to be at their best in their mid to late twenties, but sometimes we feel the unexpected joy of a player reaching his peak much later.
A player's ability throughout their career generally follows a bell curve in which they gradually improve before reaching their best, then slowing down in their 30s, then retiring.< /p>
These players, however, did not follow tradition and all had the best period of their careers in their later years.
Luka ModricNo explanation required.
READ: Luka Modric and the compelling film that robbed TAA of his dignity
Andrea PirloPirlo was excellent in the 2000s, winning two Champions Leagues with AC Milan and the 2006 World Cup for Italy, but he seemed to enter a different realm in his thirties.
Playing with the royal pomp of a Renaissance pope, the midfielder led Juventus to a string of Serie A titles and his status in England soared to new heights in 2012 after knocking out Joe Hart on his buttocks with one of the most beautifully executed Panenkas. we have never seen.
With an aversion to running and a total commitment to the aesthetics of football, Pirlo was one of the best in the world until the fall of his career.
Antonio Di NataleThe ultimate late bloomer, Di Natale had never scored 20 in a single season before, aged 32 he crushed 29 for Udinese in 2009-10.
He went on to score 28, 29, 26 and 20 goals in his next four seasons, finishing as Serie A top scorer twice and winning the Italian Footballer of the Year award in 2010.
Incredibly, between 2009 and 2011, only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored more league goals in Europe, and Di Natale was still scoring goals for Udinese in 2016 when he finally retired age 38 - two years after saying he would do it.
READ: 14 great Serie A forwards who defied age: Quagliarella, Di Natale, Totti...
Zlatan IbrahimovicZlatan would say he was a world-class footballer from birth, but the Swedish striker has actually scored more than half of his career goals since he was 30.
His numbers may be slightly inflated by his four seasons with PSG in France, but whatever you think of Ligue 1, scoring 50 goals in 51 games like Ibrahimovic did aged 35 in 2016 -17 was quite remarkable.
Plus, he then headed to England for the first time in his career and scored 28 goals in a season for Manchester United before crossing the Atlantic to smash America as well.
>Now he's back at AC Milan, and an impressive second half of 2019-20 proved he shows no signs of letting up.
What's Your Reaction?
![Three of ID's top PR executives quit ad firm Powerhouse [EXCLUSIVE]](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ID-PR-Logo.jpg?#){kind=logo}
