What age are footballers in their prime?

[shurlock]

Hoddle on Sky just now, discussing Craig Bellamy. Thinks he still has the opportunity to become a world class player provided he can find a home. Richard Keys reminds him he is 29. Hoddle responds that at age '28-32 another set of curtains open up'. Find this interesting since it challenges the assumption that players hit their peak in their mid-20s and casts further doubt on our youth first policy. Is Hoddle right?

[Thedelldays]

im sure i read somewhere that 20 years ago a footballer would be in his prime 25-28

 

these days due to far better dieting, the fact that players look after themselves and better fitness..a player (generally) is seen to be in his prime around 28-32ish

 

where as a keeper 30-35

[Under Weststand]

I would have thought that by 25 you should be at your peak physically & skill wise. and should expect all things being equal (as TDD said with diet ect) you should last 5-6 years at that peak.

[St Landrew]

I think Hoddle is right. The modern top footballer, and I mean those from the 1990s onward, do have a second-half career chance by using the experience they have gained, and ally it to better fitness trends. The only footballers who will suffer are the ones whose game depends entirely on pace and response, e.g. Michael Owen. And even he isn't doing too bad of late, now that his injuries and the expectation levels of him have abated.

[lordswoodsaints]

i would say that if you hav'nt hit your best form between the ages 24-28 you aint going to,but i think hoddle is right, around the 30 year old mark other doors of oppurtunity open for you especially for players who are intelligent thinking footballers like sheringham.

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

im sure i read somewhere that 20 years ago a footballer would be in his prime 25-28

 

these days due to far better dieting, the fact that players look after themselves and better fitness..a player (generally) is seen to be in his prime around 28-32ish

 

where as a keeper 30-35

 

Can't totaly agree on that DD .

 

Micheal Owen for instance you could well argue was at his best at 18/20 before too many injuries took their toll on the hamstrings . Most players peak by their mid twenties as far as I can see - the greater experience they gain with age often only partially compensating for the ravages of time and the fear of failure experience can bring .

 

It's perfectly true modern sports science , improved medical treatments and good diets can prolong their careers into their mid 30's - but I'm far from convinced however that they really improve much after 24/26 though .

[Rebel]

24-28 without a doubt

 

old enough have the experience, but still young enough to have the legs

 

apart form those prodigys like Owen, Fowler, Rooney who seem to peak at 17-21 and then fade away due to injuries and burn out

 

if they are good enough they may be old enough at 19 or 20 - but the only problem is they burn out before they can be truly great at 24-28

 

none of our players are good enough to be old enough or old enough to be good enough!

[ottery st mary]

I still think I am in my prime in my late 50s..But the boss..Her who should be obeyed, says I was in my prime about 30 years ago..for about 2 minutes(20 seconds to be honest)

 

So using her scale prime time is about the 28/29 age.

[Rebel]

24-28 without a doubt

 

old enough have the experience, but still young enough to have the legs

 

apart form those prodigys like Owen, Fowler, Rooney who seem to peak at 17-21 and then fade away due to injuries and burn out

 

if they are good enough they may be old enough at 19 or 20 - but the only problem is they burn out before they can be truly great at 24-28

 

none of our players are good enough to be old enough or old enough to be good enough!

 

we don't actually have any players in their prime in the squad. Pulis is 24 (although in terms of games played he's about 20!) and BWP is 23 (again probably 21!)

 

then its a great leap to Saganowski and Saejis at 30!

[SaintRobbie]

Kaka is 27 I believe.

 

I think that is about right.

[Thedelldays]

i would not say rooney has faded away...not at all

[Window Cleaner]

i would not say rooney has faded away...not at all

 

No indeed. Anyway he's only 23, he just looks 45.

[Thedelldays]

No indeed. Anyway he's only 23, he just looks 45.

 

 

lol

 

looks like he has just done a paper round on the Gaza Strip

[Whitey Grandad]

I read some time ago that the average career of a premiership footballer was 7 years. 28 is a good age and after 34 everything stiffens up and your joints lose their elasticity. Experience makes up for some of the deficiencies.

[Fowllyd]

What a strange question. Footballers enter their prime in their late teens; by their early twenties they're able to exhibit their full, fantastic range of skills, play 46 games or more in a season and compete quite brilliantly against the gnarled old pros who can still be found lurking in the teams of sadly unenlightened clubs.

 

This must be the case, because otherwise our whole strategy as a club is just plain wrong.

 

Oh.

[hughieslastminutegoal]

Can't totaly agree on that DD .

 

Micheal Owen for instance you could well argue was at his best at 18/20 before too many injuries took their toll on the hamstrings . Most players peak by their mid twenties as far as I can see - the greater experience they gain with age often only partially compensating for the ravages of time and the fear of failure experience can bring .

 

It's perfectly true modern sports science , improved medical treatments and good diets can prolong their careers into their mid 30's - but I'm far from convinced however that they really improve much after 24/26 though .

 

It definately depends on what the player's attributes are and when those attributes go into decline whether they have enough else about them to adapt to a new role. Owen's effectiveness definately declined once he couldn't beat a player on speed alone. He knew it himself and constantly checked back rather than go past. He's clinging on, but isn't anything like as effective nowadays as he really didn't have a lot else to his game, bar decent marksmanship, if (a big if) he can get into the right place at the right time. Benitez knew that when he let him go to Real.

 

But we are ok, because most of our players are 18-20, and Lowe seems to think they are all like Owen was (and Walcott).

[eelpie]

At SFC about 17.

[SaintRobbie]

At SFC about 17.

 

Sure its not about 69?

[david in sweden]

Hoddle on Sky just now, discussing Craig Bellamy. Thinks he still has the opportunity to become a world class player provided he can find a home. Richard Keys reminds him he is 29. Hoddle responds that at age '28-32 another set of curtains open up'. Find this interesting since it challenges the assumption that players hit their peak in their mid-20s and casts further doubt on our youth first policy. Is Hoddle right?

 

 

Do we mean " IN their prime." ..or " at their peak " ?

Good players, really good ones... play on and on, and age very slowly.

 

Terry Paine was slowly going downhill as a winger when he reached 30, but found a new lease of life in midfield after 32 and only left when Lawrie ditched him when he was 35, but still played on with Hereford. Channon got the push when he was 34 but moved on to Norwich and a Wembley final when 37. We got Ballie and Jimmy Case late on in their careers and they were still playing past 37.

Goalies of course mature late, Shilton was still top class at 40.

As for the young ones; shooting stars like Owen and Rooney looked like young gladiators when they were in their teens but looked burned out already. Sadly, one of the greatest names (George Best) had played his finest football before he was 26...and even MLT had his glory days before 30.

 

For me, Bellamy has never really had a prime, he's moved a bit too often and everyone hopes he might make it - next time. Bit like Dean Saunders and Robert Earnshaw - continues to show promise but have no consistancy.

 

Hoddle is probably right he (Bellamy) might make it if he finds the right club manager to " mother him along ", but I can't see one just now.Tony Adams seems to be recruiting layers he can rehab, or get through AA contacts, but it takes a special talent to do that and you can't have too many in one side.

[TijuanaTim]

It all depends on position and believe it or not on sex. Women players mature and hit their playing prime about 30-32. Males generally are at the peak at 27-29. However it changes position-wise.

Goalie's prime is about 31-36

Full backs and midfielders about 27-29

Wingers and strikers (as a generalization) younger - say 20-25. Prime examples Owen and even Shearer.

 

Michael Owen frightens the whole World, but not England. It is because of what he has done. Now, however he has lost a few tenths of a second sprinting speed and has not compensated for it in other ways, so therefore is a good prem striker rather than a global threat. I think the same will happen with Rooney (who I feel will be best suited to midfield because of his passing and vision as he matures) Ronaldo, Agbondalhor and several others.

 

These are massive generalizations...but still generally correct. In other words look at the best players and I bet most of them fall near those criteria.

 

Oh...and if I was lucky enough to coach Owen, I would send him to a speed coach...

[saintjinksie]

Hoddle on Sky just now, discussing Craig Bellamy. Thinks he still has the opportunity to become a world class player provided he can find a home. Richard Keys reminds him he is 29. Hoddle responds that at age '28-32 another set of curtains open up'. Find this interesting since it challenges the assumption that players hit their peak in their mid-20s and casts further doubt on our youth first policy. Is Hoddle right?

 

Lampard is playing as well as ever and he is about 30, by thirty you have it all, exeprience, fitness and intelligence otherwise you would not still be playing at that level.