Age is Just a Number: At 40, Cristiano Ronaldo Continues to Defy Limits in Football

Age is Just a Number: At 40, Cristiano Ronaldo Continues to Defy Limits in Football

London, March 20 – Cristiano Ronaldo turned 40 in February but remains the top scorer in Saudi Arabia's premier football league. Similarly, Lewis Hamilton, who also turned 40 in January, is still on track to secure his eighth Formula 1 Championship title. Recently, LeBron James also turned 40 and became the first NBA player to score 50,000 points.

These athletes are shining examples of modern sports, showing exceptional performance at an age when athletes of the past would likely have already retired. Experts believe that several factors contribute to the sustained performance of current sports stars, such as improved diets, mental health, advanced training, and recovery facilities.

Canadian performance nutritionist Dr. Mark Bobs, who authored the book "Peak," says, "A combination of various factors has made this possible... it's like pouring gasoline." According to him, athletes are now much more aware of their diet, with many hiring personal chefs to prepare their meals, and, like Lewis Hamilton, adopting high-fiber, plant-based diets.

Experts suggest that athletes today are more conscious of their physical condition, and due to healthier eating habits, they are staying healthier for longer. In 2020, the number of players over the age of 35 in the top five European football leagues reached 100, and this number has continued to rise in subsequent years. In 1980, only 12 players of this age played in these leagues.

In tennis, stars like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer have dominated their sport at an age that was once considered far beyond the prime years.

Now, at 37, Novak Djokovic is still playing successfully on the tennis court, having made a significant change to a gluten-free diet in the middle of his career, which led to noticeable improvements in his physical performance. "Suddenly, an X factor emerged, a change that allowed my body to work in ways it hadn’t before," he wrote in his book Serve to Win.

These new developments clearly demonstrate how modern athletes can continue to perform at the highest level for much longer, even as they age.