Still Scoring at 40+: The ex-Premier League stars defying age from Nani to Podolski | OneFootball

Footballers are playing longer than ever, with sports science allowing professionals to push the maximum from their careers.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric among the pastPremier League players performing into their forties, but that duo are not alone in their longevity.

Here are four ex-Premier League players we can't believe are still playing.

Nani

Nani announced his retirement from football in December 2024, but the formerManchester United favourite has since done a U-turn. Unable to give up the game for good, Nani is back, this time with Kazakhstani side Aktobe.

The 39-year-old has signed a short-term deal with Aktobe and is not the only ex-Premier League winger to head to the KazakhstanPremier League. Victor Moses, once of Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Liverpool among others, has signed for divisional rivals FC Kaysar.

“I’m very happy to have joined FC Aktobe and I am looking forward to contributing to the development of the club and football in Kazakhstan. I was very impressed with the club's vision for the future and will work hard to take us to new heights, at home and abroad!"” Nani said at his unveiling.

Edin Dzeko

Edin Dzeko is one of those footballers who has perhaps never got the credit he deserves.

The Bosnian goal-getter has plundered in more than 200 goals across Europe's top five leagues, taking in spells - and trophies - with clubs including Wolfsburg,Manchester City, Roma and Inter Milan.

Dzeko will turn 40 next month, but he's not ready to hang up the boots. The veteransigned for Schalke from Fiorentina in January, tasked with helping the fallen German giants return to the Bundesliga.

He's made an immediate impact, with three goals in four games. Class is permanent.

Roque Santa Cruz

Roque Santa Cruz's professional football career began with Olimpia in 1997. Almost three decades on, the Paraguayan poacher is still at it. The 44-year-old is currently with Nacional in the Paraguayan Primera Division, the ninth club of a nomadic career.

Santa Cruz holds the record for the longest span between Copa Libertadores goals, with 25 years and 73 days between his first and most recent goal in the competition.

Radamel Falcao

Radamel Falcao flopped in the Premier League, let's be honest. But the Colombian centre-forward was fairly phenomenal elsewhere.

El Tigre tormented Europe's best defences at his peak, with a Super Cup hat-trick to sink Chelsea living long in the memory.

That terrific treble was way back in 2012, but Falcao is still scoring goals now. At 40, he's back in his homeland with Millonarios.

Juan Mata

Juan Mata might just be one of the most likeable people in football. The smiling Spaniard dazzled during spells at Chelsea and Manchester United, before departing England in 2022.

You could be forgiven for thinking Mata had called it a day, but he's instead been on quite the venture. In successive seasons he's hopped from Turkey, to Japan, and on to Australia, where he currently pulls the strings for Melbourne Victory.

We can think of worse places to ease into retirement...

Lukas Podolski

Lukas Podolski is a player who feels as if he belongs to a previous time.

It's been two decades since Podolski was named as the Best Young Player at the 2006 World Cup, a tournament that saw host Germany reach the final four. He retired from Germany duty with a mammoth 130 caps, a figure few in the nation's proud history can better.

Yet, he's still playing. The 40-year-old has been with Górnik Zabrze of Poland since 2021, where he's scored 25 goals in 127 games over five seasons.