Nearly every week, like clockwork, Real Madrid fans look on in awe of Luka Modric and wonder how he continues to perform at an elite level.
The Croatian may not win the war, as we all eventually fall to Father Time, but the momentum is in his favor — the 36-year-old is winning battle after battle.
It’s not the first time a player has gone on to produce in their late 30s. Legends of the game, like Paulo Maldini and Ryan Giggs have done so, and the feat has been achieved even as far back as the 1960s with Madrid’s most legendary players:
Di Stefano, Gento, and Puskas — all three of whom extended their legacies late into their third decade.
These aforementioned names and their post-30 performances are remembered because they are anomalies. Most players see a rapid decline in their performances post 30-years-old.
The average player (I.E. – not you super star heading to China, Qatar, or the US) opts for retirement by 34-years-old. This will not be the case for long.
The target retirement age will begin to inch further along in the years ahead, and in the coming decades many players could be playing into their 40s.
The exponential rate at which sports science and technology is growing, means more and more players will be able to elongate their careers.
Like Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo is still playing in the Premier League for Manchester United because of these advances.
The world’s top professionals have invested their time and money into identifying these youth elexeris and allowing them to form as part of their daily routines.
In the Amazon Prime series, “La Leyenda de Sergio Ramos”, the former Real Madrid captain is seen dedicating part of his recovery to resting in a hyperbaric chamber.
(Ramos recovering in a hyperbaric chamber)
The studies around the benefits of a hyperbaric chamber are still limited, but some believe the elevation in tissue oxygen, which occurs in the chamber, promotes material changes in the wound repair process (particularly for muscle tendons) that helps athletes sports injury heal more quickly.
Karim Benzema, another player aging like a fine wine, has often promoted “cupping therapy” with many posts on his social media channels.
Much like the hyperbaric chamber, there is limited scientific evidence behind the true benefits of cupping therapy, but elite athletes like Benzema will use alternative methods in order to maintain an edge and provide that marginal gain vs the competition.
(Benzema after a cupping therapy)
Some physical therapist, like Michael Phelps trainer, believe that cupping can alleviate muscular and skeletal discomfort concentrated in the neck and upper limbs.
The list of new innovative technologies to enhance performance seems endless.
From compression therapy boots, to cryotherapy, a vibrating pliability roller, underwater treadmills, and so much more.
Marcos Llorente is known to use a €35,000 mattress which is said to slow down aging. Legendary quarter-back Tom Brady lasted so long in the NFL due to a number of different recovery techniques documented in his book “The TB12 Method”, which included banning tomatoes due to the potential that the “nightshade” food could cause inflammation.
Nearly every professional football club uses ice baths to aid recovery and many use “contrast baths” (both hot and ice tubs which players interchange between) providing additional blood-flow to aching muscles.
(Vini JR recovers with Normatec compression boots at home)
Many of the best players in the world not only have a nutritionist, but a chef to help keep them in the best shape possible.
Given the growth of the sports science sector and the advancement in overall medical practices, Real Madrid needs to make a change at an institutional level.
The club have adhered to a strict policy in regards to renewing the contract of players over the age of 30.
One year contract extensions are offered in order to mitigate the risk associated with professional footballers decline post-30.
With the rate of exponential growth in sports science, Madrid will need to reevaluate their stance in the coming decade as many of the best players in the world will continue to perform past 30.
A strict one year extension policy based on evidence from the past, rather than future technologies, could put the club at a competitive disadvantage vs their rivals.
A player like Luka Modric, not only competing but dominating at 38-years-old, will become all the more common.
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