Italy’s Serie A: The Nestling for Europe’s Aging Players

The timeless saying “age is just a number” is contested in every sphere of humanity. In football particularly, ‘that number’ is far from “just” a number; it is pivotal to the career and overall performance of a footballer. Last December, we saw Messi and Ronaldo in a heated bid to clutch the World Cup title, as their late 30s loom along with the knowledge they probably won’t play the tournament again. It hangs over every footballer’s head; that is until you find yourself playing in the evergreen and age-defying Italian Serie A.

The Italian league is one of the best in the world. Defensively sound this league is depicted as one of the most tactical conferences, and was made famous by a series of historic teams including AC Milan led by Marco Van Basten, and the Juventus side of the 1980s.

Amongst other things that has made the Serie A unique, one that has remained a standout is the football age curve – or rather Serie A’s defiance of the infamous curse of the number. All around Europe, and in the global football space, the longevity associated with footballers in Serie A has not gone unnoticed. 

The age curve, a powerful tool for analysis which gives a broad sense and insight into when a player may begin their decline, somehow remains inapplicable to players in the Serie A. If you’ve ever made an attempt to draw up a list of footballers with the longest active playing career, you’d find a ton of Serie A players – including legendary Juventus defender Pietro Vierchowod who retired in 2000 at 41, and Lazio’s shot-stopper Marco Ballota who hung his gloves in 2009 at 44 – populate the  list. Translating to the international scene, the oldest-winning FIFA World Cup captain remains Italy’s Dino Zoff, who won the 1982 title at the age of 40.

Till date, amongst the major leagues in Europe, the Italian Serie A, along with the Spanish La Liga holds the record as the most-aged league in Europe, both with an average age of 27.3- ahead of the Premier League at 26.08, Ligue 1 at 26.30 and the Bundesliga at 26.09.

A number of factors are dubbed to be responsible for this fine-wine-esque performance on the biggest stage, but narrowing our research, we figured out one key component responsible for the longevity attached to the career of players in the Italian top flight: The Italian style of play.

The Italian style of play 

Cantenaccio,– a phrase translated as “door bolt” involving a chain tactical system in football with a strong emphasis on defence.

 The inclination of Italian managers towards tactics involving defence tightening rather than brute force or lightning pace remains a key factor why Italian clubs sign older players, who have years of proven experience at the highest level.

Compared to other leagues like the EPL and Spanish La Liga, Serie A is renowned for its more strategic, patient, and pragmatic play. Italian teams are very tactically astute, with Italian players being among the first to adopt a strictly professional attitude to cuisine, alcohol, and fitness. The enviable success witnessed with this disciplined lifestyle was then adopted by many clubs and players across the globe who wished to grace the beautiful game for a much extended period. 

The game in Italy is played at a somewhat slower pace, combined with the tactical gameplay that emphasises less running and smarter defensive positioning and tricks. Players also adopt strict professional attitudes to food, drinks and fitness, an attitude and strategy that has consistently paid dividends when you consider the great Italian teams and players that have graced the UEFA Champions League, the World Cup and other illustrious international competitions. Many football late bloomers including World Cup winner Luca Toni and Udinese to name a few, are beneficiaries of this lifestyle and style of play.

The trajectory of Luca Toni particularly, who played as a forward for Fiorentina, depicts perfectly why Italian players tend to peak beyond expected points in their careers compared to players from other countries. The striker floated around in Italy’s lower leagues throughout his teens and early 20s and after a pair of middling seasons in Serie A with Brescia, he moved back to Serie B with Palermo at the age of 26. It was while at Palermo that his career took off, scoring 30 goals in the 2003-04 season to help Palermo to Serie A promotion. Proving that he could compete at the top level, Toni then scored another 20 goals for the Rosanero in Serie A, helping them to an impressive 6th-place finish.

That was enough to earn him a big-money move to Fiorentina, and at the age of 28, he scored an incredible 31 Serie A goals in the 2005-06 season – becoming the first player to break the 30-goal mark in the competition for 50 years.

That summer saw him score 2 goals in the 2006 World Cup, guiding Italy to win the tournament, and a year later, he made a big move to German giants Bayern Munich.

After scoring 24 goals in his debut season, injuries took their toll, and as he moved into his early 30s, it finally seemed like the Italian was slowing down. But after signing with Verona in 2013, Toni rather miraculously turned back the clock in the next two seasons. Notably, he scored 22 goals in 2014-15 to end the campaign as Serie A’s top scorer at the grand old age of 38! 

This age-defying feat by Luca Toni is just one example of —-. Spurred by the style of play adapted in the Serie A, the statistics are truly jaw-dropping when you consider that Italian forwards are estimated to be at their peak at the age of 28, compared to peak ages of…. The table below details the average peak age for footballers in Italy, categorised by their playing position.

Naturally, ageing players who are not set to leave the spotlight of European football prefer to nest in a league involving less athleticism; these players often find themselves in the Serie A. The cautious and controlled game operated by Italian teams – who are careful not to commit too many players forward on attack and prefer to use their technical skills and passing abilities to work the ball forward, easing the tempo of the game – appears just the perfect fit for many players hoping for career longevity. Though this comes at a financial cost for many high-earning football players, the Serie A is an attractive league for well seasoned players, and now you know why.