José Sand has scored one hundred and sixty-eight goals with Lanús. On Tuesday, against Platense, he scored the last one and celebrated it in front of the main stand of Vicente López, pointing at his face and repeating "Talk, talk". The message was directed to the club's directors, with whom he expects to meet to extend his contract. Pepe, an idol of the club's fans, turned 42 years old last July.
His is not the only case of longevity in sports. Around here, there is almost no week in which Hernán Barcos, at the vital age of 38, is not chosen as a figure of Alianza Lima. Those who explain the success of the 'Pirate' in the low level of Liga 1 tell an incomplete story. And they urgently call for a vaccine against selfishness.
"It's very simple: he is a good professional and has a good life," says Jaime Duarte, head of the club's scouting department. Additionally, he adds, he has been able to take advantage of his technique despite the natural decline of his physical condition.
Like Barcos or Sand, there are more and more veterans today who keep their retirement card in their pocket. "Many factors come into play: nutrition, rest, daily life... players like José Carlos Fernández and Mauricio Montes became vegans and lasted until the age of 40," says Dr. Julio Grados, former team doctor.
For decades, Mexican Antonio Carbajal was nicknamed 'five cups' because he was the only football player who had played in five World Cups. Today the list is longer: there are German Lothar Matthaus, Italian Gianluigi Buffon, and Mexican Rafa Márquez; and in Qatar the list will grow with Mexicans 'Memo' Ochoa and Andrés Guardado, Argentine Lionel Messi, and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.
The advances in science in prevention and treatments, improvements in nutrition, and the substantial awards that are given are enough attraction to want to keep the skeleton going for a little while longer. In an article published in the Spanish magazine "Líbero", Professor José M. López Nicolás from the University of Murcia states that new technologies allow us to "obtain information about the acute and chronic effects of muscle training, prevent injuries, detect muscular imbalances and asymmetries, and assess the muscle's state of fatigue."
However, according to López, there is another key factor: the football player needs to change his playing style. Goodbye to youthful explosiveness, welcome the right pace and perhaps slower but more precise movement. Learning to adapt to new times is synonymous with wisdom. And for that, it is imperative to be aware that the body is no longer the same. "You have to be in a good state of mind to perform in a match," said Barcos some time ago. And it is true: for the muscle to work, the mind has to be light.
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