Still here?

Ever look down a squad list and think “Is he really still going?”. Whether they are putting in age defying performances or getting one last payday in that footballing retirement village that is Qatar, I love the old guys. I often remember that season they had at some newly promoted Premier League team (before quickly scurrying home when things went tits up) or seeing them in the USA ’94 sticker album.

And veterans can always make an impression at a World Cup – Dino Zoff captained Italy to the title in 1982 aged 40, Roger Milla and Peter Shilton had a combined age of 78 when they helped Cameroon and England to great runs in 1990 and Kanu played in his first World Cup for Nigeria in 1998 when he was 42. Ahem.

Some I was happy to see still pottering about:

Rigobert Song (Cameroon) – WC appearances: 1994, 1998, 2006
The former Liverpool and West Ham talisman, now aged 33, holds the ignominious record of being one of only two players to be sent off at two World Cups and is also the youngest player to be sent off at the tournament having been dismissed against Brazil in 1994 at the tender age of 17. These are the extent of his World Cup highlights as Cameroon have failed to progress beyond the group stage in all three of his tournament appearances. However he is (as I am reliably informed by Wikipedia) “the only ever player to score three overhead kicks in one game for Cameroon against Mali in 1998”. Now I cannot comment either way on the veracity of that statement but it would certainly be a video worth seeing.

Song is currently playing in Turkey with Trabzonspor and is one of only two survivors from USA’94 (the other being South Korea’s Lee Woon-Jae). He also plays alongside his younger cousin (or is that nephew?) Alex Song of Arsenal.

Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (Netherlands) – WC appearances: 2006
Although having seemingly been around forever (probably because he signed for Rangers twelve years ago) this will only be Van Bronckhorst’s second finals appearance as he was overlooked in 1998 and the Dutch failed to qualify in 2002. He goes this year as captain at the age of 35 and just shy of 100 international caps.

Back at Feyenoord these days after trophy-laden spells with Arsenal and Barcelona, the left back will be hoping a solid Dutch defence will allow a star studded frontline of Van Persie, Sneijder, Van der Vaart and Robben to take them to the latter stages of the tournament. He has announced that he will retire after the summer. And he still looks about 18.

Jon-Dahl Tomasson (Denmark) – WC appearances: 2002
Primarily remembered in England for being slightly rubbish for a year at Newcastle in the late nineties (three goals all season), the Danish striker should soon become their leading scorer of all time with 50+ international goals. Not a bad feat at all when playing for a European side. He was on course for the Golden Boot at the World Cup in 2002 having scored four goals in the group stage (and eliminating France in the process) until England derailed Denmark’s progress in the second round.

Tomasson, like Van Bronckhorst, is now at Feyenoord and captain of his country and has a Champions League medal under his belt while at Milan. He will hope to take the Danes to at least the second round.

Juan Sebastian Veron (Argentina) – WC appearances: 1998, 2002
Back in favour with Maradona now at the helm, Veron is another who did not live up to billing in England – he showed little of his undoubted ability during expensive stints at both Manchester United and Chelsea. Struggling to adapt to the fast and physical English game, he is much more at home in South American and in international football.

He has been back in Argentina at Estudiantes since 2006 and has won South American Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009, so obviously still has something to offer at 35 and Argentina will want to improve on 2006’s (shameful) exit against Germany.

Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Mexico) – WC appearances: 1998, 2002
Having recently made a cameo appearance in a friendly at Wembley, England observers will attest to the fact that Blanco is looking every one of his 37 years and resembles a slightly less nimble Mick Quinn (sans ‘tache).

He livened up the 1998 World Cup with his ridiculous ball-hopping trick, the ‘Cuauhteminha’, and has spent most of his career scoring a hatful of goals in the Mexican league with América, with one brief spell in La Liga with Valladolid.

Blanco seems to have made the Mexican squad more out of nostalgia than anything and will probably be used mainly as a substitute in the final quarter of a match. Just don’t expect too many lung-busting runs.

Matt Morrison