At What Age does a Football Player Reach the Peak of Their Attacking Abilities?

Currently, young players are making their debut in professional football at 16-17 years old, and there are even those who do it earlier. For example, at just 16 years and 28 days old, Youssoufa Moukoko scored his first goal for Borussia, becoming the youngest scorer of the century.

However, the peak scoring age is between 23 and 27. Before that, there is steady development and then a decline. For instance, this season, goals are significantly different between 27-year-olds (175 goals) and 28-year-olds (99 goals).

Scoring feats after 35 are extremely rare for players over 40. No player older than 42 has scored in the top 5 leagues this century, and the oldest goal scorer remains Zlatan Ibrahimovic (41 years, 5 months, and 15 days old).

Published by Patrick Jane
20.03.2024