For many people, the forties are when you might begin to take things a little easier in life but Cristiano Ronaldo’s professional football career is still going strong.
The legendary Portuguese forward turns the ripe old age of 40 today but is still banging in goals for Al-Nassr at a similar rate to his time at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus and looks in no sign of hanging up his boots any time soon.
Ronaldo is, of course, not the first player to still be kicking about once their thirties have ended, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner following in a number of legendary veterans from years gone by.
Here are the five best forty-plus players to have graced the game.
Romario
Romario’s pursuit of 1,000 career goals took the Brazilian well past the age of 40s, achieving the feat for Vasco de Gama in 2007.
While the achievement is somewhat disputed, not least by Ronaldo who is also chasing 1,000, due to the fact his tally includes junior goals and friendlies, it is certainly not one to be sniffed.
What is not disputed however is Romario’s extraordinary talents, which helped him win the World Cup in 1994 and be regarded as one of Brazil’s greatest ever players.
Initially retiring in 2008 at the age of 42, he briefly returned to play a game for America from Rio de Janeiro a year later, before extraordinary lacing his boots up again just last year at the age of 58.
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon is rightly regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time for not only his talent between the sticks but also his longevity.
The eccentric stopper began his career with Parma in 1995 before retiring with the same club in 2023 aged 44, between that achieving almost everything possible for club and country.
Buffon joined Juventus for a world-record fee for a goalkeeper in 2001, where he won 10 league titles in Turin as well as the World Cup with Italy in 2006.
He added another league title to his collection with Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 before returning to Juventus for two seasons, and then Parma again.
Francesco Totti
There must be something in the water in Italy which helps players continually defy the age process, with Francesco Totti undoubtedly one of the best to do it.
Again, it is not just his talents as a footballer or even his longevity he is best remembered for but his loyalty to Roma, where he spent the entirety of his 24-year career and as a result was worshipped like a Roman gladiator.
This loyalty means the trophies he won during his career, which include just one Scudetto and two Coppa Italia wins, is relatively modest compared to others but he is revered by Roma fans in a way perhaps only a handful are.
Also a World Cup winner in 2006, Totti was given a hero’s farewell when he hung up his boots in 2017 at the age of 40 years, eight months and one day old.
Ryan Giggs
In terms of English football, nobody really comes close to Ryan Giggs in terms of the length of time they starred at the very top level.
Giggs made his Manchester United debut as a 17-year-old in 1991 as part of the famed ‘Class of 92’ but went on to outlast all of his fellow graduates, amassing a whopping and record-breaking 963 appearances for the Red Devils.
The Wales international played a key role in all 13 Premier league title wins as well as two Champions League triumphs under Sir Alex Ferguson before the retiring a year after the legendary Scottish manager in 2013.
His glittering career ended not before a brief spell as player-manager, while his tally of 162 assists in the Premier League remains a record for the competition.
Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini was another Italian who proved age was but a numberas he starred for AC Milan until the day he retired at 41 in 2009.
A career spanning 24 years, the centre-back has played against all the likes of Diego Maradona to Lionel Messi and Ronaldo – and alongside names such as Franco Baresi, Ronaldinho and Kaka.
Maldini held the record for the most Serie A games with 648 games in the Italian top flight before it was broken by Buffon. In terms of outfield players though, few come close.
The defender retired from international duty in 2002 without winning a major honour but he more than made up for it in his club career as he won every trophy possible with the Rossoneri.