Cristiano Ronaldo is still at the peak of his career and Zlatan Ibrahimovich is equally going strong when many footballers of their ages would be ‘killing’ off their careers in Arabian and MLS leagues.
Hinged on this, we are surprised, or probably not surprised (depending from the angle you look at it) that former Chelsea and Senegalese striker, Demba Ba has bowed out of the game at the age of 36.
Demba Ba made the announcement via his social media accounts almost a month after he left Swiss Super League club Lugano.
Ba wrote: “It is with a heart filled with gratefulness that I announce the end of my playing career.
“What a wonderful journey it has been. Besides all the sweat and tears I have faced, football has given me so many beautiful emotions. From the passion of the fans and the noise coming from the stands after every goal to the connection with my teammates on and off the field, this will forever remain in my head and heart.
“I wanna thank everyone I’ve crossed paths with and helped me grow, every club and manager for given me an opportunity, the fans for their tremendous support and my family and friends for their unconditional love.
“From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU. Praise be to the almighty.”
Ba also represented Newcastle United, West Ham, Besiktas, Shanghai Shenhua and Istanbul Basaksehir in a 16-year senior career. The 36-year-old also picked up 22 caps for Senegal and scored four goals for the nation at senior level.
