All the 23-man lists for the 32 nations going to Russia are in. Among these are players who are well into their 30s and even 40s. The like of Egypt’s veteran, Essam El-Hadary leads the team of old players at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Any footballer above 30 was said to be on their last legs until sports science intervened. Now, increasingly, athletes are performing optimally and competing favourably well into their 30s. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, kicking off on June 14 in Russia, there will be players who would have been considered too old just a few years ago even as the World Cup would remember Cameroon’s Roger Milla, who defied age with his four goals for Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup, aged 38.
If El-Hadary is chosen to play any minute in Russia, Egypt’s captain will become the oldest player ever to play in a FIFA World Cup, and it would also be his debut. Playing in Saudi Arabia’s top tier league with Al-Taawoun, El-Hadary has been a professional since 1993 when he started with Damietta of Egypt, aged 20.
This remarkable career that has seen him play for the three Egyptian club heavyweights – Zamalek, Ismaily, and Al Ahly. He also played in Europe with Sion of Switzerland. In a 25-year career, El-Hadary has kept goal for 11 different clubs on three continents – Africa, Asia, and Europe.
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