40-year-old Podolsky + Shinji Kagawa! 18 stars you are familiar with are still in the professional arena

The career of a football player is not eternal, but there are always some players who, despite their age, are still not ready to say "this is the end." They are still galloping on the green field, even if they are far away from top events and heavy transfers.

We have a list of well-known players who are still playing football, even if the clubs they currently play for no longer sound so well-known.

Romero

Age: 38 years old

Club: Boca Youth

The Argentine goalkeeper is most remembered when he was De Gea's substitute when he was playing for Manchester United. In the 2016/17 season, he was Manchester United's main goalkeeper in the UEFA Cup and won the championship with the "Red Devils". Interestingly, it was Onana who guarded the goalkeeper for Ajax at the time.

After leaving Manchester United, Romero moved to Serie A for one season, played 16 times for Venice, and returned to Argentina in the summer of 2022, currently playing for Boca Youth. However, his last appearance dates back to 2024. His contract with the club will expire this winter.

Xavi Martinez

Age: 37 years old

Club: Albida SC

The Spanish football player has not yet finished his career, but he has long faded out of the mainstream vision. He transferred to Qatar in 2021 and changed clubs this summer to continue playing in the Qatar League.

He has made more than 250 appearances for Bayern Munich between 2012 and 2021. He also played 18 times for the Spanish national team and won the 2012 European Cup with the team.

Fonte

Age: 41 years old Club: Casapia

This experienced centre-back has played for many clubs in his career, but his most impressive performance was during Southampton and Lille, who unexpectedly won the Ligue 1 championship with Lille in the 2020/21 season.

It is also worth noting that he has also achieved significant success in the Portuguese national team, making 50 appearances for the team. With the national team, he won the 2016 European Cup and the 2019 European League championship.

Vida

Age: 36 years old

Club: Athens AEK

This is one of the best defenders in Dynamo Kiev's history and the real legend of the Croatian national team is still continuing its career. The centre-back's peak career was spent at this Ukrainian club and at Besiktas.

In 2018, after winning the runner-up with the national team in the World Cup, Liverpool expressed interest in him. The player has even agreed on a contract with the Merseyside club, but the transfer ultimately failed to make it. Domagoi has been playing for the Turkish club until 2022, then transferred to Greece, and currently plays for the Athens AEK team.

Naingoland

Age: 37 years old Club: Lochren Tamsey, the talented midfielder is still playing, but he is now playing for Lochren Tamsey in the Belgian League Two. Occasionally, Naingolan makes headlines for his bold remarks. In January, he was involved in a cocaine smuggling case and was arrested, but the Belgian player was later released.

People remember his performance in Rome, Inter Milan and Belgium. Interestingly, he controversially ended his national team career in 2018, as then-head coach Roberto Martinez did not include him on the 2018 World Cup primary list.

Since 2023, his career has been quite unstable. He first transferred to Spal and then moved to the Indonesian league at the end of the year. He left the club after only two appearances for the team.

Verati

Age: 32 years old Club: Duhele

The Italian midfielder has been playing in Qatar since 2023, although there are occasional rumors that he may return to European clubs. Fulham had expressed interest in him in the winter, but in the summer he transferred from Arabi SC to Duheer Sports.

Previously, the player had expressed his desire to transfer to a European club that may encounter Paris Saint-Germain in the European game. At the Paris Club, Verati has indeed become a legend, making more than 400 appearances in 11 years! Veratti also won the European Cup 2020 with the Italian national team.

Rebic

Age: 31 years old

Club: Hayduke

Another Croatian national team hero who became famous in the 2018 World Cup is still playing football. It is worth noting that the player's form has declined relatively early, and he gradually began to stagnate after transferring to Besiktas in 2023.

At his peak, he made his mark in Frankfurt and won the German Cup in the 2017/18 season, then transferred to AC Milan and won the Serie A championship with the team in the 2021/22 season.

Last season, Rebic played for Lecce, but he returned to his home country this summer and is currently playing for Hayduke.

Douglas Costa

Age: 34} Club: Sydney FC

One of the most skilled players in modern football left Europe five years ago. During this period, the Brazilian player played on three continents (North America, South America, and now in Australia).

Ukrainian fans discovered his talent when he joined the Donetsk miners in 2010, and by 2015, Douglas transferred to Bayern Munich, where he spent two brilliant seasons. He then transferred to Juventus. After

, he was loaned back to Bayern, played for one season at Gremio, transferred to the Los Angeles Galaxy, and stayed in Fruminense for half a year. He has played for the Sydney FC since the summer of 2024.

Kagawa Shinji

Age: 36 years old

Club: Osaka Sakura

This Japanese legendary player who once played for Manchester United under Ferguson and Dortmund under Klopp is still playing. He is still a key player in Osaka Sakura. Shinji Kagawa returns to Osaka Sakura in 2023 and continues to gain stable playing time.

The veteran retired from the national team in 2019. Interestingly, he is not the holder of national team appearance record (97 games), but he ranks sixth in the number of goals (31 goals).

Podolsky

Age: 40

Club: Zabrzegornik

The Polish-born striker has not yet finished his career. However, in October, he held a farewell match for Cologne, where he started his career. He has played for the Polish League’s Zabrzegornik for four years, but this season has been tough for him, with only one start.

Throughout his career, Lucas has played for Bayern Munich, Cologne, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Galatasaray, Kobe Victory Ship and Antalya Sports. It is worth noting that Podolski ranked fourth in the number of appearances for the German national team (130 games), second only to Thomas Muller (131 games), Klose (137 games) and Mattus (150 games).

Cavani

Age: 38 years old Club: Boca Youth

This star striker is still playing steadily, but he is no longer as brave as he was. His goal rate has dropped significantly in recent years; he has scored 16 goals in 43 games in the past two seasons. The situation has not improved this year, with only 4 goals in 20 games.

He has not played for the Uruguay national team since 2022, but he is still the second scorer in the national team history, scoring 58 goals. Only Luis Suarez (68 goals) has more than him.

The striker spent a great time in Naples and then transferred to Paris Saint-Germain to become the team's live legend. He made more than 300 appearances for the Parisians and scored 200 goals.

Accunia

Age: 33 years old

Club: River Plate

This Argentine player has never played for European football giants, but he has spent great years in Portugal Sports and Sevilla, and also played for the Argentina national team and won the 2022 World Cup with the team. Since the summer of 2024, Akunia has played for River Plate.

Alice Sandro

Age: 34 years old

The Brazilian star became famous in Porto, and then transferred to Juventus and served as the main defender of the Torino club for a long time. From 2015 to 2024, he made more than 300 appearances. In the summer of 2024, he signed with Flamenco as a free agent. He is currently a key player of the team and can play steadily as long as he is not injured.

Borasi

Age: 34 years old

This Congolese player is remembered for his fancy style and skills in the Premier League at Crystal Palace and Everton. He has always been loved by fans. He has been playing for Crisioma and Cruzero in Brazil for the past two years, currently playing for the latter.

Sijulzsson

Age: 36 years old

The former Tottenham and Everton player is still playing professional football. Fans may remember not only his performance in the Premier League, but also his appearance for Iceland at the 2016 European Cup, one of the leaders of the team that made it to the quarterfinals.

Ramsey

Age: 34 years old

In July this year, the midfielder unexpectedly transferred from Cardiff City to Mexico. Interestingly, in April this year, the Welsh club appointed Ramsey as head coach. Ramsey became the first British in the Mexican League.

Valbuena

Age: 40

Club: Olympiacos

The Frenchman seems to be playing forever... He returns to Olympiacos after playing for Calitia and Apollo Smith this season. He has played in Greece since 2019 and has previously played for Fenerbahce, although his peak period was in Marseille and Lyon. Valbuena also played 52 times for the French national team, scoring 8 goals and contributing 15 assists.

Navas

Age: 38 years old Club: Pumas

This former Real Madrid legendary goalkeeper is still continuing his career. This summer, he moved from Newell Old Boys to Mexico's Pumas Club.

David Luis

Age: 38 years old

This winter, the Brazilian joined Fortaleza, but in the summer, he transferred to Cyprus as a free agent to join Paphos FC.