Highlights

  • Several forgotten but iconic footballers are still playing, including Nani, Vagner Love & Santi Cazorla.
  • Milan Baros, now 42 years old, is still in professional football, 19 years after he won the Champions League with Liverpool.
  • Former Chelsea man Salomon Kalou moved to Djibouti Premier League Arta Solar 7 in 2022 and is still plying his trade for the club.

They say a career as a footballer is always a short one, and they're absolutely right. Even those who manage to find supreme levels of longevity in their game are usually done by their mid-thirties, while some look ready to hang up the boots as soon as they enter their thirties altogether.

It's difficult to leave behind what is such a difficult industry to make a career out of, though, and with sports science constantly developing, some of the world's best are now extending their careers at the top to freakish stints. Cristiano Ronaldo is still scoring for fun with Saudi side Al-Nassr at the age of 39. The Portuguese star scored in his 1000th club game back in February 2024.

At the age of 36, Lionel Messi has shown no signs of slowing down, and it's difficult to pinpoint when he'll retire from the beautiful game. The World Cup winner currently plays for MLS side Inter Miami and has been a key figure for them since his arrival in 2023. But while there is that elite group who continue to defy the odds, there are also the players that were once prominent within the top leagues or famous for their exploits elsewhere, but have since fallen away from the limelight completely.

11 forgotten footballers who are still playing right now

Name

Club

Age

Jo

Amazonas

36

Vagner Love

Atlético Goianiense

39

Lukas Podolski

Górnik Zabrze

38

Milan Baros

FK Vigantice

42

Nani

Adana Demirspor

37

Ragnar Klavan

JK Tallinna Kalev

38

Shinji Kagawa

Cerezo Osaka

34

Arturo Vidal

Colo-Colo

36

Roque Santa Cruz

Libertad

42

Salomon Kalou

Arta/Solar7

38

Santi Cazorla

Real Oviedo

39

Jo

Amazonas

Jo - Manchester City

After making a name for himself for Corinthians between 2003 and 2005, Jo joined CSKA Moscow at the age of just 18. His successful stint in Russia saw him secure a sensational move to Manchester City in 2008. However, the Brazilian has been completely forgotten about since his for the Premier League giants and the loans to Everton that followed. He was lost in the shuffle amid City's takeover and did not manage to make it stick in Europe.

From then on in, he has gone on to enjoy a lot of success with the likes of Internacional, Atlético Mineiro and Corinthians in Brazil. He was released by his beloved Corinthians in 2022, with many assuming he would decide to call it a career. But at the age of 36, he is still going strong in his native Brazil. Jo secured a move to Brazilian second division side Amazonas in 2024 as he looks for one last hurrah in the professional game.

Vagner Love

Atlético Goianiense

Vagner Love is the definition of ''the streets will never forget.'' He was remembered fondly by many for his eccentric hairstyles, wizardry skills and unrelenting cannon of a shot on either foot. The Brazilian was also a sensation due to how iconic his FIFA card was for CSKA Moscow back in the day.

A large chunk of his career was spent in Moscow with the Russian giants. After leaving the club in 2013, following a second stint with the side, many just assumed he disappeared off the face of the earth, wrong. He still had some success in Europe with the likes of Monaco and Besiktas; however, a lot of his success came in Brazil. In 2023, he left Sport Club do Recife at 38 but still felt he had a little bit more to give before joining Atlético Goianiense in 2024.

Lukas Podolski

Górnik Zabrze

Lukas Podolski

It's fair to say that Lukas Podolski had one of the best left foots in football during the peak of his powers. You just knew, as soon as he was lining up a shot, opposing keepers had no chance and were ultimately left rooted to the spot and just watched the ball fly past them.

Large parts of his career were spent in Germany with FC Koln and Bayern Munich before making the switch to Premier League giants Arsenal. After spending three years in north London, the tricky forward was sold to Galatasaray. Following a two-year spell in Turkey, Podolski was rarely heard from again. He currently plies his trade with Polish side Górnik Zabrze and, unsurprisingly, is still scoring the odd screamer.

Milan Baros

FK Vigantice

milan-baroš-czech-republic

Milan Baros was part of the Liverpool side that famously secured one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the Champions League, coming from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan in the 2005 final. During his career, he also took home the Golden Boot Award at EURO 2004 after scoring five goals for the Czech Republic en route to the semi-finals.

He enjoyed a successful career in England with the Merseyside outfit. After leaving the club in 2005, the former forward had brief spells with Aston Villa and Lyon, as well as a loan move to Portsmouth in between. Following his stint in France, Baros was rarely seen in action again. He had a few years in Turkey before returning to his native Czech Republic. After leaving Baník Ostrava in 2020 at the age of 38, many thought he would call it quits, but he's still going! At 42, Baros is still going strong, playing for Czech minnows FK Vigantice.

Nani

Adana Demirspor

Nani’s bizarre Premier League goal for Man Utd v Tottenham in 2010 remembered

After featuring in Soccer Aid during the summer of 2023, many were wondering what had happened to Nani. The Portuguese winger, who enjoyed great success at Manchester United, provided many iconic memories during his time in the Premier League. He was also remembered for scoring one of the Premier League's strangest goals against Spurs in 2010.

Surprisingly, at the age of 37, he's still going. The skillful winger has never found a settled home since his successful period with the Red Devils came to an end, with his longest spells being two-year stints at both Valencia and Orlando City. He is now playing in Turkey with top tier side Adana Demirspor. following a miserable spell in Australia with Melbourne Victory.

Ragnar Klavan

JK Tallinna Kalev

Former Liverpool star Ragnar Klavan running

After a successful stint in Germany with FC Augsburg, many fans were surprised to see Jurgen Klopp sign defender Ragnar Klavan. The Estonia international was still a very unknown figure in the world of football, despite being a well established player at the time.

He was brought in after the Reds sold Kolo Touré and Martin Skrtel's departures and both Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez were suffering from long-term injuries. The defender only spent two years at Anfield before joining Serie A side Cagliari. That's the last time most fans had heard of the Klavan name, but believe it or not, he's still going. At the age of 38, the defender is back in his home country, playing for top-tier side JK Tallinna Kalev.

Shinji Kagawa

Cerezo Osaka

Shinji Kagawa at Man Utd

Shinji Kagawa looked absolutely electric under Klopp over in Germany. The silky attacking midfielder scored and provided an assist for Dortmund against rivals Bayern Munich in the 2012 DFB-Pokal Final and then moved to Manchester United just a matter of months later. After just two years at Old Trafford, he returned to Germany with his former club Dortmund but just wasn't the same player.

From then on in, he's failed to make a real name for himself in Europe. Spells with the likes of Real Zaragoza and PAOK proved unsuccessful. Now, at the age of 34, he is back in his home country of Japan, playing for his boyhood club Cerezo Osaka - where he seems to have finally settled down after a dismal spell in football since leaving Old Trafford.

Arturo Vidal

Colo-Colo

Arturo Vidal

Nicknamed ''The Warrior,'' Arturo Vidal is arguably one of the biggest s***houses of recent football history. His no-nonsense approach in the heart of the midfield got under many players' skin during the peak of his powers. He made a name for himself during his time at Bayer Leverkusen before establishing himself as one of Europe's top defensive midfielders during his time at Juventus.

After leaving the Serie A side in 2015, the Chilean had stints with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Inter Milan. His contract was mutually terminated by Milan in 2022. With his career at a crossroads, it looked like he was going to call it a career at the age of 34. However, Brazilian side Flamengo took a gamble on him before a short spell with Athletico Paranaense. Now, at 36, Vidal joined Colo-Colo in his native Chile in 2024, where he had one of the more bizarre introductions to the fans.

Roque Santa Cruz

Libertad

Roque Santa Cruz

Since leaving Europe in 2016 after a stint with Malaga, little has been thought of Santa Cruz, who was once a sensation at Bayern Munich and, more memorably, Blackburn, lighting up the Premier League before moving to Manchester City, where it just didn't work out for him. After impressing at Ewood Park, he failed to establish himself as a regular at the Etihad.

But, the Paraguayan has actually been plugging away in his home country and still continues to do so. At the age of 42, Santa Cruz is still proving as prolific as ever for Libertad. He joined the club back in 2022 after a successful spell with fellow Paraguayan side Club Olimpia, where he scored 67 goals in 159 games.

Salomon Kalou

Arta/Solar7

Salomon Kalou celebrating for Hertha Berlin

Salomon Kalou was a real fan-favourite during his time at Stamford Bridge during with Chelsea. He played a starring role in the club's Premier League title win in the 2009/10 season as well as being a key figure in the side's Champions League triumph in Munich in 2012. After leaving the club in 2012, the Ivorian had spells in France and Germany with Lille and Hertha Berlin respectively.

While many assumed he quit the game following his spell in Berlin, Kalou actually spent a year in Brazil with Botafogo. Now, at 38, he is still kicking a ball around on a regular basis for Djibouti side Arta/Solar7 after joining the club in 2022.

Santi Cazorla

Real Oviedo

Santi Cazorla

Santi Cazorla will go down as one of the greatest players from Spain to play in the Premier League. In terms of talent, the little midfielder was a sensation with incredible technical ability, and he is in a very exclusive bunch of top flight players to have notched four assists in one game. He was so talented that you could not convincingly say which was his weaker foot.

Injuries prevented him from having a more glittering career. Cazorla left Arsenal in 2018 to join La Liga side Villarreal, spending two years in Spain before joining Al Sadd. The midfielder left the Middle Eastern side at the age of 38, but fancied one last hurrah, joining boyhood club Real Oviedo. Even at the grand age of 39, the tricky midfielder has shown fans that he can still knock a ball around at a high level.