5 players who peaked in their 30s

Edwin Van der Sar

Goalkeeper of the Ajax side that won the Champions League in 1995, Van der Sar enjoyed success during the early stages of his career too. A move to Juventus soon followed, but he lost his place in 2001 to a young Gianluigi Buffon. Desperate to find a "friendly" club and some guaranteed playing time, he ended up at Fulham in a move that surprised many. But his performances there caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson, who had been struggling to find a suitable replacement for Peter Schmeichel for years, and he moved to Manchester United in 2005, aged 34.

It was at Old Trafford that he produced the best form of his career. He excelled as the club won three consecutive league titles, as well as the Champions League final in 2008, in which Van der Sar made the match-winning save in the penalty shoot-out. Then in the 2008-09 season he set the world league clean sheet record by not conceding a single goal for 1,311 minutes. He was named UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year in 2009 and retired at the end of the 2010-11 season, having just won the Premier League for a fourth time. He finished at the very top, playing his last ever match in the 2011 Champions League final.

Andrea Pirlo

An extremely talented deep-lying playmaker, Pirlo was never the quickest, relying heavily on his vision and technical ability. These two skillsets only improved with practice and age, meaning that as he entered his thirties, Pirlo was at his absolute best. Already a star with AC Milan, at 32 the midfielder moved to Juventus on a free transfer, with many believing him to be finished. 

Not Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon though, who said, "when Andrea told me that he was joining us, the first thing I thought was: 'God exists!'". Pirlo went on to play the best football of his career with the club, dominating in midfield as Juventus established themselves as Italy's top club and as one of the best in Europe. He was named Serie A Player of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2014 as well as being shortlisted for a host of UEFA awards. He left in 2015 a firmly established Juventus legend, despite having only spent four years at the club.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

A tall, strong and flamboyantly arrogant striker, Ibrahimovic played for a whole host of top clubs during his twenties, including Ajax, Juventus, Inter and Barcelona. But it wasn't until his thirties that his goalscoring feats became truly spectacular. He turned 30 towards the beginning of the 2011-12 season, having recently joined AC Milan from Barcelona, and scored a remarkable 35 goals that season. Understandably, newly-French side PSG soon came calling.

There he continued his blistering form, bagging over 30 goals in each of his four seasons at the club, including 50 in his final year. He moved to Manchester United in 2016 and was a stand-out performer in his first season in England, impressively overshadowing the likes of Paul Pogba and Wayne Rooney. He single-handedly won the League Cup final for the club and had reached 28 goals with the Red Devils when he sustained serious ligament damage in April 2017. He now plays in the MLS, where he continues to shine with LA Galaxy. 

Xavi

A regular presence in Barcelona's midfield throughout the noughties, Xavi was generally considered a 'good' player rather than a 'great' one, often under-appreciated in comparison to the club's more famous faces, including the likes of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Carles Puyol. But when Pep Guardiola arrived as manager in 2008, things began to change. Xavi soon became recognised as not only the best passer in European football, but one of the greatest of all time.

His style of play fitted perfectly with Guardiola's new 'tiki-taka' system, and he became key in allowing stellar talents like Leo Messi and Andres Iniesta to flourish further up the field. He turned 30 at the beginning of 2010 and spent the next few years at the absolute top of his game. He reached the final three in the 2010 Ballon d'Or shortlist, finishing only behind Messi and Iniesta. He played one of the best games of his life against Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final, dominating midfield on the biggest of stages as Barcelona ran out 3-1 winners. The club went on to win the competition again in 2015, with the match proving to be Xavi's last before leaving for Qatari club Al-Sadd.

Fabio Cannavaro

Surprisingly small for a centre-back at just 1.75m, Fabio Cannavaro could play full-back and was known for his excellent ability to read a game. He played for a number of clubs in Serie A, including Parma, Inter and Juventus, and was a household name in his native Italy. He became a household name worldwide, however, when he captained Italy to World Cup glory in 2006. The final against France is a match often remembered for Zinedine Zidane's infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi, but almost as notable was Cannavaro's imperious performance in defence. 

That year, aged 32, he became only the second defender in history to win the Ballon d'Or, and was transferred to Real Madrid for €7 million in the summer. He stayed at the Bernabeu until 2009, a truly remarkable feat given he was in his mid-thirties at the time. He eventually retired in 2011 at the grand old age of 37.