Top 10 Veterans in Premier League History
While everyone loves a young player bursting through onto the scene and taking the world by storm, the Premier League has been blessed with some superb veterans over the years.
With all the talk of Ryan Giggs still pulling the strings for Manchester United at the age of 39, although he is by far the most impressive player to still perform at that age, he isn't the only one.
If we consider a veteran to be somebody who has played in the Premier League over the age of 35, and has had a pretty successful playing career, then there are plenty of candidates who rank alongside Giggs with the tag of elder statesman.
Let's take a look at some of the finest veterans to have graced a Premier League pitch in the history of the division—with some familiar, and some unfamiliar names on the list.
10. Nigel Winterburn
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Nigel Winterburn was a mainstay of the Arsenal side that won the Premier League title in the 1997/98 campaign, playing 36 times at left-back.
In fact, he was one of Arsenal's most consistent players over a period of years—he played 429 times for the Gunners between 1987 and 2000.
With the likes of Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Lee Dixon, he became a part of one of the most revered and feared defensive units in England during the early years of the Premier League.
His playing career spanned from 1983 to 2003, a staggering feat for a professional footballer. After leaving Arsenal at the turn of the century, he joined up with West Ham United, where he went on to make another 82 Premier League appearances.
Despite his success at club level and reputation as an outstanding full-back, he only made two appearances for the England side. That is because he couldn't get past the regular left-back England were blessed with in the mid-1990s.
9. Stuart Pearce
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Think of Euro 96, and you'll likely think of three things. One would be Paul Gascoigne's goal against Scotland and subsequent celebration. Another would be Gareth Southgate's heartbreaking penalty miss against Germany in the semi-finals.
The other will be Stuart Pearce's iconic celebration.
In an illustrious club career, Pearce played for the likes of Coventry City, Newcastle United and West Ham United. However, he is probably most fondly remembered for his spell at Nottingham Forest, whom he was playing for when the Premier League launched.
He continued to play at the top level in England all the way through to 2001, when he appeared in the final game of the season for the Hammers aged 39.
8. Ray Wilkins
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Ray Wilkins is more fondly remembered for his flamboyant football in the 1970s and '80s with the likes of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. However, when the Premier League came about, Wilkins was still fully active at the top level, and he also played in the Premier League until the age of 39.
At the time, he was player-manager of Queens Park Rangers, having previously played for them in the Premier League in 1994. However, during the 1995/96 season, Wilkins' squad couldn't avoid the drop to the First Division and were relegated in 19th position.
He played 84 times for England in a stellar international career, and bowed out of top-flight football in England on the final day of the season in 1996, when QPR were relegated.
7. David James
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David James is one of the most iconic goalkeepers in Premier League history, and he was another who played in the top flight until the age of 39.
Despite being nicknamed "Calamity" by fans all across England, James was an incredibly reliable goalkeeper in his latter years and even wore the No. 1 shirt for England at the 2010 World Cup—where he was the oldest player in the entire tournament.
As well as that, he captained Portsmouth to the FA Cup in the twilight of his career.
With clubs such as Liverpool and Aston Villa on his resume, James is one of the finest veterans in Premier League history.
6. Alan Shearer
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Arguably one of the finest England strikers of all time, Alan Shearer retired with a plethora of records at his native Newcastle United.
He went on to play for the Magpies until the age of 35, making him eligible for this list of Premier League veterans.
5. Jamie Carragher
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A one-club man for the entirety of his career, Jamie Carragher—like Shearer—makes the cut for this list only just, having retired in May of this year at the age of 35.
While he never got his hands on the Premier League trophy with Liverpool, he won almost every other honour in the game, including that historic Champions League success in 2005.
Adored by millions of Liverpool fans worldwide, even at 35 Carragher possessed many of the skills required to be a top-class central defender.
4. Brad Friedel
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Granted he is a goalkeeper, but to still be playing at the top level at the age of 42 is absolutely stunning.
Hats off to Brad Friedel; he still features a decent number of times for Tottenham throughout the season, despite not being able to completely dislodge Hugo Lloris as No. 1.
The USA international also has spells with the likes of Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers to his name, and he will surely go down as one of the finest goalkeepers in Premier League history.
3. Dennis Bergkamp
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Dennis Bergkamp went out at the very top, retiring with Arsenal in 2006 to go out as a true legend at the age of 36.
That makes him eligible for this list, and it would have been cruel to leave out one of the most technically gifted footballers in the history of the division.
He made 315 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners and won two Premier League titles with the club during his stay in North London.
He also scored some absolutely stunning goals while wearing the famous red shirt.
2. Paul Scholes
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So good that he came out of retirement, Paul Scholes is only just pipped to the top spot by a pretty obvious candidate.
Like Carragher, he was a one-club man for the entirety of his career, but he managed to ply his trade in the top flight until the age of 38, a remarkable number for a man playing in the middle of the park.
Chosen by many fellow professionals as one of the best footballers of his generation, Scholes has every honour you could wish to win at domestic level, as well as 66 caps for the England national team.
1. Ryan Giggs
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Who else but Giggs?
He is just about to hit 40, but David Moyes claimed this week that Giggs is "still one of our best players."
And who would we be to argue? Despite not having the rip-roaring pace he once possessed, Giggs still ticks the Manchester United side over nicely in the middle of the park, and still plays a key role in the United team.
When he does hit 40, don't expect him to suddenly stop playing. He may well continue into next year—meaning the Welshman could be playing outfield in the Premier League at the age of 41.
