A key question for any footballer or physical therapist has to be: how do older players manage their high training loads and prevent injury? The average squad at the World Cup was mid to late 20s; however, there are many examples of professional players excelling well into their mid to late thirties, including Schalke’s Naldo and Juventus’s Andrea Barzagli. (Barzagli’s former team-mate, star- goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, recently celebrated his fortieth birthday.) Manchester United’s 36 year old Michael Carrick is set to retire this year in favour of a coaching role, saying: “There comes a time when your body tells you it is time to stop.” However, this ‘time’ obviously varies from player to player, and their role in the squad.

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ACL injuries

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Anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL injuries (tears to the ligaments connecting the thigh bone to shin bone), are said to be among the most common causes of player lay-offs. LA Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic received this injury aged 35 (when playing for Manchester United). However, studies on risk factors and prevention of ACLs are still inconclusive.

 

In the 2016 paper ‘The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder?’, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the authors stated that ‘Well-developed physical qualities are associated with a reduced risk of injury.’ A paper titled ‘Risk factors for sports injuries — a methodological approach’ in the same title declared that injury prevention is key. ‘The [current] risks associated with minor, moderate, and major acute injuries [are] unacceptable. Preventing injuries [may be more important than treatment].

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