World Football Transfer Special: 7 Star Players Past Their Prime
With so much transfer speculation at the moment for young players on the rise, we sometimes forget the older players that are still in demand. Mainly they are in demand because at one time they were top-class stars that made their opponents shake in their boots.
However, now they are high-wage earners that come with high expectations but more than likely aren't guaranteed to deliver. They essentially have become high risk, high reward gambles that either will or won't pay off.
On that note, here is a list of seven players that either have just moved or are speculated to be moving this summer that are in the category of once first-class, now possibly only occasionally first-class.
Andrea Pirlo
1 of 7
In the last 10 years, if you heard the club name AC Milan, you thought first of Paulo Maldini and second thought of Andrea Pirlo.
It seems, however, that the years are finally catching up with the Italian midfield maestro that has been such an instrumental part of both Milan and Italy in the last 10 years.
His 397 appearances for the Rossoneri rank up there with many other legends for the Milan club. He scored 44 goals and dealt out 41 assists, plus made hundreds more key passes in his time.
This summer he has recently made the switch to Juventus, and although he comes from a pedigree that includes two Scudettos, two UEFA Champions League trophies and a World Cup, to name a few, at the age of 32 it is debatable if he has lost a step or two.
The upcoming season will show if he still has gas in the tank as he enters the twilight years of an impressive career.
Luca Toni
2 of 7
Juventus forward Luca Toni is the classic example of a journeyman player. He has played for 13 teams during his career, never having stayed long enough at any of them to achieve more than 80 appearances, which he managed while playing two seasons at Palermo, scoring 51 goals in that time.
The height of his career truly was from 2005-2009, where he split his time between Fiorentina and Bayern Munich, scoring 106 goals in a total of 152 appearances between the two.
However, his career would suddenly turn for the worse, as he only made four showings in the 2009-2010 season for Bayern and was sent back to Italy with AS Roma.
Since his return to Italy he has traveled between Roma, Genoa and now Juventus, but with only nine goals in a combined 33 appearances from the later teams, he is only a shadow of his former self. He more than likely may continue his pilgrimage this summer with Juventus looking for newer and younger striking options.
Fernando Torres
3 of 7
Yes, Fernando Torres is very young to say this about. Simply because of his age he may be the only player on this list that has a chance to really break out of the doldrums and experience the prime of his career.
Many people forget he has been a top-flight player since 17, when he broke into the first team of Atletico Madrid.
After scoring 91 goals in 249 appearances plus being the youngest captain in club history, "El Nino" crossed the channel to Liverpool, where he scored 33 goals in his first season, absolutely electrifying the Premier League in Red. His next two seasons saw another 39 goals before his final half season saw only nine for the Reds.
However, his low point would be that after a move to Chelsea this past January for £50 million, he only managed one goal in 18 appearances.
If he can remain injury free and have a good summer of preseason training and rest, he could perhaps recapture the class he displayed his first two-and-a-half years in England before injuries truly nagged him to death.
He has the time to rise again, but his body has already experienced a lot of torment between his total 409 first team appearances and 84 total international appearances since he became a top-flight player.
Miroslav Klose
4 of 7
Miroslav Klose. When you let it sink in, the name brings to mind the German national team that has been so dominant in most cases, but not quite dominant enough to win something since their 1996 European championship.
Klose has been an integral part of that German national side and is the second-most capped player in German history with 109 appearances and their highest scorer at 61 goals. However, his club form has just not been the same in recent years.
Before his move to Bayern Munich in 2007, he had spent a great three years at Werder Bremen, scoring 63 goals in 132 appearances. His first two seasons in Munich saw him score 41 goals, but his last two only saw a combined 11 from 64 appearances.
His move to Lazio earlier this month shows he still is considered top-class at 33 years old, but his best days appear to be behind him, as he is not looking to be able to repeat his 31-goal form from 2005-06.
Shay Given
5 of 7
Shay Given was a legend for Newcastle United, as he held guard between the pipes at St. James' Park for over 12 years, collecting 479 caps for the Magpies. He was there for the most recent glory years that saw the Geordie club very nearly win the league and got to experience the Champions League firsthand.
However, he only won a single trophy with the Northern Club when they lifted the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Having seen the heights of Newcastle United at its best, the suffering form the club had been experiencing for the last several years eventually convinced him to make the move to Manchester City.
The next year and a half would see Given as the first choice keeper, but still no trophies to be seen for the Ireland international. The beginning of the 2010-11 season would bring more heartache, as Given was replaced as first choice keeper by young Joe Hart; by all means Hart deserved it for his skill, but it was still a blow to Given.
A year on the sidelines finally ended with Manchester City and Shay Given getting to lift the FA Cup, but it was a hollow victory for the veteran. At 35, hopes of regaining a starting role at the City of Manchester Stadium look beyond him. A move to another team could see him return to first team action, but he may not be in contention for any silverware.
His year of nearly forced retirement at City also looks to have possibly ended his career sooner than was believed it should end. The longevity of keepers should never be questioned if you look at the examples of Edwin van der Sar and David James, but Given could very well be out to pasture.
Michael Owen
6 of 7Let's face it, folks: Since he left Liverpool, Michael Owen just never has had it. He was a legend at Anfield and left perhaps a little too soon, as he could have been part of the 2005 Champions League-winning side that enjoyed perhaps the most sensational comeback in the last 10 years of footballing history.
There is no doubt that despite changing his stripes and wearing Manchester United's Red, he will still always be remembered as having been a Liverpool player at its finest.
More than seven years removed from his Liverpool days, where he collected 297 appearances and 158 goals, he has yet to equal either of those totals when all the other stats are combined between Real Madrid, Newcastle United and Manchester United.
The former Ballon d'Or winner could yet make another move before he hangs up his boots, but it is no secret that he is way past his best days.
Ledley King
7 of 7If not for injuries, Tottenham Hotspur captain Ledley King could have been one of the best center backs in the history of the English Premier League. However, it has been six years since he has seen more than 29 appearances in a single season. The last six years have seen him collect only 123 games when the previous four years, which included one season held to 27 games due to injury, saw him collect 148.
With an average of only 20 games per season on the pitch, King is far from the dominant force that saw him rise to prominence for Spurs in the early 2000s. His ability to stay in shape has been fantastic considering the nagging injuries that constantly have held him back, but we are likely to never see him enjoy the career he should have had.
Even with his career-crippling injury, he still is praised by current manager Harry Redknapp, who said this about King in a 2008 article from The Guardian:
"It swells up after games and it normally takes seven days to recover but having played on Monday night he's had less time than usual. He rarely trains, he mostly just goes to the gym to keep himself ticking over. But not running or anything like that. But even if he only plays 20 games a season, he's worth having because he's so good we have a much better chance of winning."
Even with the praise and accolades, it is painfully true that King is past his prime even at only 30 years of age.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
