For di 2026 FIFA World Cup, two football legends wey don pass dia prime according to many people, Cristiano Ronaldo wey be 41 years old from Portugal, and Lionel Messi wey go soon turn 39 from Argentina, still dey show say dem get wetin e take to compete for di highest level.
Dem no be di only old players for di tournament. At least seven other players don reach 40 years. Most of dem na goalkeepers, like Josimar Jose Evora Dias, wey dem call Vozinha, 40 years from Cape Verde; Guillermo Ochoa, 40 from Mexico; Manuel Neuer, 40 from Germany; Fernando Muslera, 40 from Uruguay; and Craig Gordon, 43 from Scotland. For outfield positions, Luka Modrić wey be 40 from Croatia, and Edin Džeko, 40 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, still dey play.
For oda professional leagues like for Japan and Ukraine, some players nearly 60 still dey active. According to Dr. Sami Rifat, director of sport and exercise medicine for Cleveland Clinic wey don work with Premier League for England, di improvement for training and recovery na major reason wey dey enable athletes to continue for middle age. E tell MedPage Today say, “We dey see athletes dey older and older and dey stay successful longer and longer.”
Training insights and strategies dey get better every time, and for 20 years time, athletes go even better pass now. For strength conditioning, experts don refine protocols to improve elasticity. For older athletes, dem focus on tissue resilience because tissue fit become stiffer with age, wey increase risk for muscle and tendon injuries. To balance this natural decline, trainers dey shift focus to athlete mobility and ability to handle physical stress.
For footballers, trainers fit target muscle groups like hamstring or adductor wey common for injury. Avoiding career-altering injuries na important factor for career length. For soccer, each position put different kind of strain for body. Goalies fit crash ground more from huge leaps to stop opponents, while oda players dey run miles per game and fit face more lower extremity injuries. Plus, player individual play style and how aggressive e be, dey influence wetin dem include for strength and recovery training.
Brian DeVeaux, DPT, senior sports clinical specialist for Northwell Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Services and team physical therapist for Hofstra University, tok say, “Your strength na your foundation and e help build injury resiliency.” E note say men lose calf strength and power with age, so trainers go focus on building muscle there. Dem go also work with athletes to increase base capacity for physical and psychological stress and specific skills like sprinting or flexibility.
Training cycle dey extend across year, with plenty time to meet long-term goals and design athlete lifestyle to support career. DeVeaux add say, “Lifestyle and recovery na king and really help influence performance.” Sleep and rest no be small thing. Elite athletes get access to best treatments, training, and nutrition. Dem get whole machine behind dem wey invest for dem well-being and ability to perform. Most elite athletes don take health and fitness serious for whole career.
Dr. Rifat note say high-level athletes get precise individualized fueling strategy wey support performance, recovery, and minimize inflammation. But skill still matter. Messi and Ronaldo no be considered GOATs just because dem don dey play for long time. Rifat explain say with experience, dem learn to play smarter, wey help dem minimize unnecessary strain and injury. DeVeaux conclude say, “Dem take care of demsef, dem get good lifestyle, dem maintain consistent training regimen preparing dem body for sport, plus huge technical and experienced background. When you get those things together, na greatness.”
