Wayne Rooney take note: Teddy Sheringham and Edwin van der Sar among five who enjoyed best period of their career in 30s
Everton striker hits double figures again as getting past 30 doesn't necessarily mean the end, as this list proves
WAYNE ROONEY continues to roll back the years after reaching 10 Premier League goals again.
In 2004, he celebrated his 19th with a goal against Arsenal — but 13 years on, he finds himself back where it all started at boyhood club Everton.
Whatever your opinions on the man, you can’t deny Rooney enjoyed a stellar career.
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But despite the lukewarm reception around his move, Rooney familiarly finds himself among the Premier League's top scorers yet again.
So in his honour, SunSport looks at five players who enjoyed the best part of their careers after the age of 30.
Teddy Sheringham
EARNED a moved to Old Trafford at the age of 31 — and admitted he made the decision in order “to win things”.
And that he did. After a trophyless first season, he won the Treble a year later and league titles in 1999-00 and 2000-01.
In the latter season, Sheringham was named PFA Players and Football Writers’ Player of the Year, at the age of 35.
Gabriel Batistuta
ARGENTINE was a hero an icon at international level — finishing as top scorer in the victorious 1991 Copa America edition at the age of 23.
He spent the majority of his club career with Fiorentina, even suffering relegation.
But in 2000, at the age of 31, Batistuta moved to Roma for £25million — and claimed his first league title.
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Fabio Cannavaro
ITALIAN defender enjoyed relative success at Parma, winning a Uefa Cup and two Italian Cups.
However, after a trophyless spell at Inter Milan, Cannavaro moved to Juventus at the age of 31 and won his first two league titles — though they were later revoked following a match-fixing scandal)
He captained his country to World Cup success at 33, winning the Ballon d’Or and earning a move to Real Madrid.
In Spain, he won La Liga twice.
Edwin van der Sar
JOINED Juventus from Ajax at the age of 28, but it didn’t work out, so he joined Fulham two years later.
After showing his reliability at Craven Cottage, Sir Alex Ferguson brought him to Old Trafford at the age of 34.
In his six seasons with the club, he won four league titles and the Champions League in 2008.
Javier Zanetti
PLAYED for Inter until he was 40, but real success only arrived in his final decade.
Zanetti was 32 when he won the first of his five consecutive Serie A titles.
He also captained the Nerazzurri to the Treble in 2009-10 at the age of 36.