England captain Harry Kane is hoping to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and several other modern greats by continuing to play at the highest level until his late thirties.
The advancements in sports science this century have seen players at the elite end of the sport keep going even after they hit 35, which previously tended to be an age where many would retire.
Ronaldo will be 39 when he celebrates his next birthday in February 2024 and was 37 when he recorded a 24-goal season with Manchester United prior to taking his career to Saudi Arabia. Similarly, Messi was 36 shortly after the end of the 2022/23 season, moving on to Inter Miami in July.
Robert Lewandowski turned 35 in August and is as vital as ever for Barcelona and Poland, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic was still playing until 41 and scored well over half of his 511 club goals after turning 30 – including a 50-goal season with Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 34.
Kane joined Bayern Munich less than two weeks after celebrating his 30th birthday during the summer but still only considers his career little over half done.
“The perception in sport or football in general is you hit 30 and people start to think it’s the end,” he explained this week. “But, the way I am looking at it, is that I almost have the second half of my career [left]. I played in the first-team at Spurs from 20 or 21, so I have had nine or ten years at the highest level and I’m hoping for another eight or nine years at the highest level again.
“When you look at a lot of the top-level players – Ronaldo, Messi, Lewandowski, Ibrahimovic — they have almost got better as they hit 30. In a lot of sports that happens as well. Everything is settled in your personal life. You have family and kids, so that side is all settled. You are comfortable with your body, you are comfortable mentally where you’re at and that just allows you to focus on the football.
“I just want to keep playing. I think, with everything, with recovery, sports science, and the way the game has been and adapted, it has allowed players to play for longer. I would like to think my career will go to my late thirties…at least.”
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