The map of veterans in South America: Up to what age do they play and why is Liga 1 ideal for strikers?

This research did a complete crawl on the subject of experienced gamers. Currently the South American First Division tournaments register more than 80 players who were born between 1980 and 1984. The oldest is Paulo de Silva (42 years old), icon and legend of Paraguayan football, who wears the colors of his country’s October 12. In the Top 15 the name of a Peruvian stands out, Mauricio Montes (40 years old)who from the second half of the year was signed by Alianza Atlético de Sullana, from Cusco FC.

Oldest outfield players in South America

At 40%, defenders account for the largest slice of the pie. Then they are followed by the forwards (30%) and only a step further back are the midfielders who reach 29%. We stop and pay attention to the second group, which stands out for having the highest proportion of footballers who play in the League 1. They represent 25% of all veteran spikers in this part of the continent, outperforming tournaments in Argentina and Paraguay.

There are six long-lived ambassadors who continue to break the net in our championship. Half of this group are goal men who defend the colors of Alianza Lima: Jefferson Farfan, Hernan Barcos Y Wilmer Aguirre. Between the three they add 115 years. Each one lives a different present in the last years of their careers, marking poles as it happens with the ‘Foquita’ and the ‘Pirata’.

Longest attackers in League 1 2022

Calvary of absences

Since Jefferson Farfan returned to Alianza Lima has only added 16 games, being a starter twice. Numbers quite far from those he had during his last two seasons with Lokomotiv Moscow: 49 appearances from the starting eleven of the 53 games he played between the local and international level. Decline explained by a considered left knee injury that he suffered in the 2019 Copa América, from which he has not yet been able to recover 100%.

Between 2021 and October of this year, he spent 64% of the time off the pitch. This year he barely had action in seven minutes of the classic against Universitario de Deportes for the tenth day of the Closing Tournament and the last moments of the clash against Binacional for day 17 of the same contest, leaving more doubts than certainties about his physical condition. Three dates from the end of the regular phase, the second highest historical scorer of the Peruvian National Team seems to be giving his last jogs in the professional field.

Injuries in the last two years

tireless pirate

Unlike the ‘Foquita’, Hernan Barcos He has not suffered any injury since he arrived at Alianza Lima. He was only absent in three games, all of them from the Clausura Tournament (San Martín, Atlético Grau and FBC Melgar), due to the accumulation of yellow cards. His contribution to the intimate offense ended up being crucial for the 2021 national title and he wants to repeat the same this season, inscribing his name as the top veteran scorer in South America.

But it is not unusual for the ‘Pirate’ to be absent from the playing fields due to some physical problem. His career has been characterized by not having many stoppages due to injury. According to his history, the Argentine has not registered any since 2017, when he wore the colors of the Quito League. That time a blow to the right calf left him out of competition for 22 days.

Specialists speak

The cases of Jefferson Farfán and Hernán Barcos led us to talk with renowned national medical specialists on the subject of veterans in soccer. They, from their professional field, explained what happens when a player enters the last stage of his career.

goes beyond medicine

The doctor July Degrees, head of the Medical Department of the Peruvian Football Federation (2007-2010), assures that a precise age cannot be given to know until when a player can remain in the professional elite. It not only depends on a life time issue, but also other factors.

“If a player is 38 or 39 years old, it is because he can do it. The body of someone over 30 is at a disadvantage when it comes to acquiring an injury. All the tissues of the musculoskeletal system have less consistency at that age, but it does not mean that because he is a veteran player he will be injured yes or yes. They will weigh other factors such as the position on the field of play and the type of life they led during their career”, he explained.

a key factor

The physical issue plays a determining role for players who are close to goodbye. According to Alfredo Bernalformer physical trainer for the Peruvian National Team and several national soccer clubs, working with a long-lived player should not only be focused taking into account the history of injuries, but also the seasons he has played, density of matches, history of injuries and the weight.

“Age does have an impact on the footballer’s preparation, but not on the competition. If we talk about training, we must control and dose the loads for older players. It is not about subtracting loads, but being more specific in the movements. That is, they perform fewer repetitions of the series. The thing to keep in mind is that these types of players do not like to be left out of the group. They always try to be there and motivate the team.” said.

Mind and body

Julius Peche, a sports psychologist, indicates that a soccer player has a chronological and psychological age. For this reason, he comments that a player over 37 years of age cannot be told that he is ready for retirement. That will depend on how he is in the physical aspect, beyond the fact that the psychic part is maintained by the desire to continue in activity. Both must go hand in hand.

“The level of muscular response of a veteran soccer player is no longer the same. This is closely linked to the reaction speed of the physical part. From a psychological point of view, we talk about what desire is, a mental energy that will allow the player to respond at a muscular level, as long as he has known how to take care of himself and has no injury lags”, he claimed.

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