Today, body care is different, the science of recovery has evolved, and the result is that 35 is no longer a retirement sentence
The Brasileirão 2025 is coming to an end and the talk that doesn’t stop is about the “old people” who continue to dominate in Série A. Thirty-somethings, forty-somethings… there’s everything. And they are there, standing the test of time and showing that experience still matters – a lot – in a championship as crazy and exhausting as ours.
Everyone already knows what the boys bring: explosion, speed, bags packed for Guarulhos airport. But the most experienced ones deliver something else: absurd reading of the game, calm in times of chaos, leadership in the locker room and, above all, the ball in the net (or cut in the area) when things get going. Today, body care is different, the science of recovery has evolved, and the result is that 35 is no longer a retirement sentence.
In this Brazilian Championship, just by head, there are at least 45 players over 30 playing in the 20 clubs. Bruno Henrique, Arrascaeta, Gustavo Gómez, Reinaldo, Danilo, Rossi, Cássio, Fábio, Thiago Silva, Hulk… the list is long and most of them were (or still are) protagonists.
There are people who look at this and talk about “the decline of Brazilian football”. I see the opposite: it’s proof that ageism no longer applies to football. Longevity became a competitive differentiator. Point.
And you, which “uncle” impressed you the most this season?
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
