UEFA Champions League over-30s Best XI This Season

As ratings go, this has got to be among the most tenuous. But in a sport obsessed with youth, there is surely some worth in celebrating the consummate professionals who continue to perform to the highest level into their 30s.

When others have given up on grand ambitions or moved to minor leagues on major pay, these proud few continue to plough on, surrounded by players who had not been born when they first stepped out into a stadium. 

Certainly, the Champions League has seen plenty of fine performances from Europe's veterans this season, but who has stood out the most? Here's a starting XI of experienced stars who have shone the brightest during this UCL campaign. 

Gianluigi Buffon Between the Sticks

Who else could there be? The Italian World Cup winner is the paradigm of a great goal keeper. Cool under pressure, always in control and intelligent and agile enough to make those key reaction saves time and again. 

The Juventus captain is one of the all-time greats, known for his cat-like reactions and for being a leader of men. And this year, even at 35, he's still showing everyone else how it should be done.

Currently, he's gone over 490 minutes without letting in a goal in the Champions League. It's an impressive stat, but one that he'll hope to improve on. After all, he went 551 without conceding in 2005. 

Paris Saint Germain's Maxwell

He might not be the first name on everyone's lips when discussing Europe's great defenders, but Maxwell Scherrer Cabelino Andrade has proven his worth since arriving at Paris Saint Germain from Barcelona in January 2012. 

The 31-year-old Brazilian has now played almost as many games for the City of Lights side a year as he managed in three in Catalonia, and for his €3.5 million price tag, looks like a sound acquisition. 

Thus far in the Champions League, Maxwell has made eight appearances and spent a full 720 on the pitch—a constant, reliable presence at the back and going forward. 

His 448 attempted passes puts him in the competition's top five passing defenders, as does his 77 percent completion rate. Only the well-known talents of Jordi Alba, Philippe Lahm, Dani Alves and Ajax's impressive Niklas Moisander are ahead of him in that regard, and Lahm by mere virtue of the fact he's attempted two more passes this campaign. 

Andrea Barzagli from Juventus

Andrea Barzagli has been a constant presence for Juventus since his move from Wolfsburg, and it's easy to see why. 

The well-traveled centre-back is 31, but is currently playing the best football of his career, reminiscent of the form that earned him so much attention—and a spot in the Italian national side that would go on to win the World Cup—while he was at Palermo. 

The Bianconeri have conceded just four in the Champions League and 18 in Serie A, and Barzagli is a big part of the reason why. This is one 30+ player who's showing no signs of slowing down with age. 

Philippe Mexes Makes the Cut Thanks to a Moment of Brilliance

Philippe Mexes is always a mixed bag. Undoubtedly talented, there is none the less a feeling that the Frenchman has not quite lived up to the promise he seemed to show during his early days with AS Roma, and indeed before that at Auxerre. 

Often culpable for AC Milan conceding, particularly during set-pieces, Mexes is none the less a quality defender and is shoe-horned into this XI by simple virtue of the fact that on a cold night in November, he scored one of the season's best goals against Anderlecht. 

The imagination and ability required for such a feat would be applauded in a striker, but coming from a defender it was truly special. 

A Resurgent Patrice Evra Makes the Squad

The offer of €5 million from Paris Saint Germain in the summer looked like a good price for the aging Patrice Evra, who had not shown his best form for some time.

But perhaps spurred on by the criticism, the Frenchman has been a much finer vintage during the 2012-13 campaign, even adding a new dimension to his already considerable game. Evra has netted more goals so far than he had his entire United career, and has now been offered a new contract by Manchester United as just reward for his rediscovered enthusiasm. 

A return to Paris is not out of the question—he's a PSG supporter, after all—but with the paucity of left backs currently available, Alex Ferguson will be hesitant to let him go. He might not be the player he was, but at 31 he's by no means finished. 

Xavi Hernandez from Barcelona

OK, the age limits have nothing to do with this one. After all, who wouldn't want to have Xavi in their dream XI?

At 33, the Spaniard is still one of the game's best performers and exhibits the sort of control, invention and intelligence that most players can only dream of. 

Not a whole lot has to be said to justify his inclusion, because as any football fan will know, he's the heartbeat of this Barcelona, one of the all-time great sides. He doesn't make as many crosses or long balls as many midfielders, but that's not his game.

Xavi is unrivaled in passing stats, completing the vast majority of his 838 total so far this season in the UCL—double what many others in his position have made. And his two assists thus far only tell part of the story, because very little of the good Barca do starts anywhere else than with this midfield maestro. 

Andrea Pirlo ... Because There's No One Better

Letting Andrea Pirlo leave AC Milan must be one of European football's all-time transfer gaffs. The Rossoneri had thought their Regista past it, but as he's proven since moving to rivals Juventus, he's anything but.

For club and country, Pirlo is still peerless in the centre of the park, with vision and a passing range that is unsurpassed. As good as Juve are, they look a shell of themselves when the 33-year-old is not in the starting XI, because there's simply no one better at reading and conducting a game. And impressively, only Valencia's Tino Costa has covered more ground in the middle this season. Past it indeed ...

Like Xavi, he's got to feature in any fantasy XI. 

Darijo Srna Still a Massive Threat

No one has attempted more crosses in this year's Champions League than the Croatian veteran Darijo Srna, and in the midfield only Tino Costa and Pirlo have covered more ground. 

The dynamic winger has been terrorizing full-backs and creating goals since his days at Hajduk Split, and despite now being on the wrong side of 30, he looks certain to be intrinsically linked to Shakhtar Donetsk's fortunes for some time to come. 

Braga's Alan Still Has It at 33

Braga has a pretty miserable time of it in this year's Champions League group stage, but Brazilian winger Alan still managed to bag five goals, including a memorable brace away from home against EPL giants Manchester United. 

Ordinarily, running the wings is a young man's game, but Alan is still up to the job even in his advancing years and is included here in recognition of his valiant efforts to keep the Portuguese club's UCL dreams alive. 

Claudio Pizarro Makes the Cut with a Quick-Fire Hat Trick

Claudio Pizarro hasn't been a guaranteed starter for Bayern Munich this season, but as he showed in the 6-1 win over Lille, when called upon the Peruvian forward still has what it takes. 

His three expertly-taken goals against the French side was the quickest hat trick scored this season, taking the 34-year-old just 15 minutes. 

Over the last three seasons at Werder Bremen, Pizarro averaged more than a goal every two games, and though he has yet to score for Bayern in the league thus far since his return to Bavaria, he continues to be a useful alternative up front for the Bavarians. 

Zlatan—Just Because He's Zlatan, Obviously

Zlatan Ibrahimovic used to be a love-him-or-hate-him character.

The mercenary way in which he's left club after club in search of success and ever-growing pay packets has made him something of an easy target for critics. But one thing that no one can criticize is the Swede's mercurial talent. 

Now in his 30s, Zlatan's unique attitude on and off the pitch has become something of a lovable trademark, turning one of football's greatest striking talents into one of the game's great characters, too. 

His unusually low return of two goals thus far in the Champions League shouldn't be read into too much, because his presence tends to free up space for his team mates and he leads the striker assist charts with five.

And you just know that when Paris Saint Germain need a truly ridiculous piece of skill or audacious show of individual brilliance to get them out of trouble, Zlatan will be ready and willing to oblige.