Cristiano Ronaldo is among the numerous veteran players who continue to compete in international football. The Portugal captain requires a wake-up call, whereas Luka Modric does not.
Here are ten veteran players selected to represent their nation this month…
Cristiano Ronaldo [Portugal]
What better place to begin than the representation of longevity? Cristiano Ronaldo is an extraordinary talent, but time has undeniably impacted him, which, at 40 years old and over twenty years into his professional career, is perfectly acceptable.
As the greatest Portuguese football player ever and, for many, the best football player of all time period, Ronaldo continues to dominate the nation he has represented more than 200 times. The Real Madrid and Manchester United icon does more harm than good these days but remains essential; if Roberto Martinez decides to contest this, Ronaldo's intense gaze will shine bright, and the former Everton manager will retreat as if his life relies on it.
Ronaldo participated in the entire 90 minutes during Portugal’s Nations League playoff loss in Denmark on Thursday, not managing a shot on target or recording any key passes or dribbles. A terrible evening was topped off by Rasmus Hojlund performing Ronaldo’s legendary celebration right in front of him after netting the sole goal of the match.
Regrettably for Portugal supporters, Ronaldo will keep leading the attack until he feels disinterested – which will never happen. He might be an 80-year-old man in a wheelchair, yet new Portugal manager Joao Neves would still hesitate to leave him out.
Luka Modrić [Croatia]
We intend no disrespect to the remarkable phenomenon and astounding legend that is Ronaldo, but as he declines in his later years, Luka Modric continues to be Croatia’s finest and most motivating player at 39 years old.
Supporters of Portugal never anticipated the moment when CR7 would either retire or acknowledge his constraints and take a seat on the bench, yet here we are. In contrast, Croatian supporters are fearing the moment their 2018 Ballon d’Or triumphant retires from the game.
On Thursday evening, Croatia defeated World Cup runners-up France 2-0, with Modric playing the entire match and leading his country to an unexpected win against Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, William Saliba, and their teammates.
The Real Madrid midfielder has consistently been recognized for his exceptional technical skills, but his durability and availability are absolutely astonishing. The allegedly frail midfielder is far from it.
Marc Pujol [Andorra]
Disregard Ronaldo and Modric; Marc Pujol is unquestionably the most prominent name here. At 42, he is undoubtedly the oldest outfielder.
With an astonishing 120 caps to his name, 42-year-old Pujol debuted for Andorra in February 2000, and within the first two teams he was part of, his country only suffered one loss, achieving two draws and a victory against Belarus.
He didn’t experience international success again until 2002 and later 2004, after which the two-year winning streak concluded and Pujol had to wait until 2017 for a friendly versus San Marino; if only they had considered arranging it earlier. This ignited another two games unbeaten – featuring an unexpected World Cup qualifying win at home against Hungary.
The Nations League has allowed nations such as Andorra to compete against teams at their level, but now it’s time for World Cup qualifiers, with Andorra facing Latvia on Friday and Albania on Monday. They play against England on June 7.
Craig Gordon [Scotland]
Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon has been Scotland's No. 1 for 21 years since his international debut. At 42 years old, he earned his 79th cap and maintained a clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Greece on Thursday.
What makes Gordon's enduring career even more remarkable is that he experienced a horrific leg fracture in December 2022. Numerous individuals, myself among them, presumed that a 39-year-old Gordon would not come back. He didn’t merely come back – after under a year – but he returned #backstronger. Indeed, people had the same thoughts when he ruptured his ACL in April 2012, just one year after enduring another major knee injury that sidelined him for 260 days.
Goalkeepers frequently receive a break regarding this issue, but Gordon deserves more than just a noteworthy mention. The fact is, he remains a quite skilled goalkeeper.
Kyle Walker [England]
There was astonishment in certain circles when Kyle Walker was included in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, but with the AC Milan right-back nearing 100 caps, he genuinely desired this call-up and has been acknowledged for his experience and eagerness to secure a new club in January.
It’s uncertain where or if Tuchel will deploy Walker against Albania at Wembley on Friday night, but if the German opts for three centre-backs, we can picture the 34-year-old positioned on the right, rather than as a wing-back.
As we mentioned, there were differing opinions on Walker being part of this month's England squad, yet he isn't the most contentious selection. That refers to Jordan Henderson, who has hardly participated for Ajax this season. Ah, great job winning over the skeptics, Thomas.
Kasper Schmeichel [Danish]
Kasper Schmeichel is a young player when compared to Gordon. Both play their club football in Scotland, but the former enjoys a far more comfortable role at Celtic; it's far less enjoyable being the goalkeeper for Hearts.
Similar to Gordon, Schmeichel, 38, maintained a Nations League clean sheet on Thursday night, denying Ronaldo’s Portugal in a vital first-leg win. He experienced a mostly calm night with two saves, yet he recorded more touches (33) compared to Ronaldo’s 30.
The Dane may not be the top goalkeeper we witnessed at Leicester, but he was a significant summer acquisition for the Bhoys and remains his nation’s first-choice goalie, ahead of talented Chelsea prospect Filip Jorgensen and Leicester City’s Mads Hermansen.
Joe Allen [Galles]
Wales begin their World Cup qualifying journey with a favorable home game against Kazakhstan this Saturday. They received a quite respectable group, consistently facing a weak and unpredictable Belgium team, along with Liechtenstein and North Macedonia.
Next year, there could be a Welsh invasion of North America, gentlemen.
The most senior player in their team is 35-year-old Joe Allen, who aims to increase his 76 caps this month. Craig Bellamy’s squad includes three teenagers, one of whom is Lewis Koumas, a five-cap Stoke City player and the son of former Wales international and Barclaysman Jason.
Allen did not participate in any of Wales' last three games but did gain two additional caps as a substitute, so he will be optimistic that Bellamy provides him with playing time against Kazakhstan and/or North Macedonia.
Ivan Perišić [Croatia]
The second Croatian mentioned here, Ivan Perisic, 36, is having a great season at PSV after a dream return to Hajduk Split swiftly turned into a disaster.
The deterioration in the connection between Perisic and Hajduk manager Gennaro Gattuso shouldn’t have been unexpected given the Italian's nature, yet it was, and it was also unexpected when PSV offered the player a contract. He seized his opportunity and justified the trust with impressive performances, and Perisic is in the Croatia squad based on merit, not on reputation.
Perisic, 36, played a key role in his team's 2-0 victory against France, both scoring and providing an assist. However, he wasn't the top player on the field. His performance was just slightly surpassed by his goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
Marko Arnautovic [Austria]
Allen's ex-Stoke teammate Marko Arnautovic is still active in attack for Austria. Despite an undeserved label as a bad egg, the 35-year-old’s ex-club teammates only speak highly of the big man, who started and provided an assist in Thursday’s 1-1 tie against England’s Euro 2024 rivals Serbia.
In contrast to Schmeichel facing off against Hermansen and Jorgensen and Modric contending with Martin Baturina, Petar Sucic, and others, Austria’s coach Ralf Rangnick has limited striker choices, leading him to prefer Arnautovic.
Eduardo Vargas [Chile]
Do you recall this individual? Eduardo Vargas previously played for Queens Park Rangers and continues to start for Chile.
The 35-year-old was the sole forward in his team's 1-0 loss to Paraguay on Thursday, earning his 118th cap, a remarkable statistic.
It's truly astonishing that QPR is the sole English team he has played for; we're certain he must have been with Watford at some time.
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