Fantastic And Fit At 40 – Veteran Sporting Superstars Inspiring Others

Sporting Superstars are proving age is no barrier to success showing they are as fit at 40, or older, than they were in their 20’s and 30s. In doing so, inspiring a new generation to follow suit.

There was a time when it was generally felt that by the time a person reaches 30, their athletic peak was behind them. What lay ahead was a slow decline in performance and an inevitable drop off in ability.

Fans would watch their older icons drift down the betting markets at sites like bet365 Sport. Usurped by younger, up-and-coming stars about to replace them.

This is why, for so many years, finding sporting stars fit at 40, or older, was almost impossible. Most sporting stars decided their careers would finish in their early to mid-30s.

But now, there is a new generation of sporting superstars who have proven, and are proving, that they can be as talented, successful and fit at 40 as they were in their 20s and 30s.

Furthermore, it is these figures that are inspiring many 30+ and 40+ year olds to dust down their kit and start to get as fit at 40 as they were in their younger days.

The Fit at 40 Phenomenon in Sports

What is amazing is that the fit at 40 in a professional sporting context is not just a recent revolution – there are some notable examples in the past.

However, what is unusual at this point in time is that the fit at 40 phenomenon seems to have happened across a broad spectrum of sports, rather than just to isolated individuals.

Let’s look at some of the sporting icons who have proven over the years that age is no barrier if you keep yourself fit and healthy.

Football

• Sir Stanley Matthews – Played for England aged 42, and in the topflight of English football aged 50. The Wizard of the Dribble was the first veteran soccer superstar.
• Dino Zoff – The legendary Italian goalkeeper is the oldest player to win a World Cup, aged 40 for Italy in 1982, and he played for a year after that for Juventus in Serie A.
• Gianluigi Buffon – Another legendary Italian keeper, he played international football well into his 40s and still turned out for Parma last year at the age of 45.
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Zlatan scored an incredible 405 league goals in 637 league games at a career at a host of top clubs across Europe and in America, retiring only when he was aged 41 after amassing 34 goals in 64 games for Milan in his final years as a player.
• Cristiano Ronaldo – Now aged 39, Ronaldo shows no signs of slowing down. He is the first player to appear and score at five World Cup competitions and has appeared in over 1,000 competitive games at club level and has over 200 caps for Portugal, scoring over 800 goals.
• Kazuyoshu Miura – A Japanese football legend who is still currently playing for Portuguese second division side Oliveirense after a career that has spanned an incredible 37 years. Miura is now 56 years old and turns 57 in February 2024.
• Thiago Silva – The Brazilian centre back will be 40 in September 2024 but still shows no signs of slowing down captaining both his Premier League club side Chelsea and his national team Brazil at present and showing no signs of decline as yet.

Other soccer stars who are or have played recently at or approaching the age of 40 include Roque Santa Cruz (41), Endo Yasuhito (43), Roger Milla (44), Stuart Pearce (39), Joaquin (41), Cristian Riveros (40), Teddy Sheringham (41), Pepe (40) and Luka Modric (38).

American Football

• Tom Brady – Although now retired, Tom Brady defied all logic to remain at the top of the game in the NFL until well into his 40s. He holds virtually every meaningful QB record in the game and his seven individual Super Bowl wins is one more than any NFL team has managed in history.

Other NFL Superstars who have played well beyond the expected age for an NFL player (whose average career lasts just six seasons) include: Jason Peters (41), Aaron Rodgers (40), Marcedes Lewis (39), Joe Flacco (38), Andrew Whitworth (40), Ben Roethlisberger (39), Drew Brees (41), Philip Rivers (39), Adam Vinatieri (47), Matt Bryant (44) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (39)

Boxing

• George Foreman – Most famous for his “Rumble in the Jungle” defeat to Muhammed Ali in the 1970s, Foreman returned to Boxing in 1987 at the age of 38 and in 1994, at the age of 45, he defeated Michael Moorer to become the oldest heavyweight world champion in history.
• Bernard Hopkins – An outstanding middleweight boxer throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Hopkins landed THREE different world titles at different weights at the ages of 46, 48 and 49 years old respectively.

Other boxing aces to show their skills close to or past the age of 40 include Sugar Ray Robinson, Manny Pacquiao, Sugar Boy Malinga, Wladimir Klitschko and Larry Holmes.

Other Sports Veterans Shining and Fit at 40!

Legends either approaching 40 or fit at 40 and beyond in other sports include:

• LeBron James (Basketball) – 39
• Roger Federer (Tennis) – 40
• Venus Williams (Tennis) – 43
• Serena Williams (Tennis) – 42
• Ronnie O’Sullivan (Snooker) – 48
• John Higgins (Snooker) – 48
• Mark Williams (Snooker) – 48
• James Anderson (Cricket) – 41
• Justin Verlander (Baseball) – 40
• Lewis Hamilton (F1) – 39

It is easy to see why this list can be so inspiring. A quick check of a sporting event involving any of these stars usually finds that bet365 Sport have listed them amongst those most likely to win, score, or play some kind of prominent role within that event.

Inspiring A Generation To Get Fit at 40?

Everyone loves the story of a young sporting superstar coming to the fore, such as Darts World Finalists Luke Littler, or US Open winner Emma Raducanu. But there is arguably more impressive feats shown by those at the other end of the age bracket in sports.

It is thanks to performances from people like those listed above that so many people are inspired to try and achieve peak fitness by the age of 40, such as the three Merseyside-based fitness fanatics who are taking part in Project 40. A quest to be the fittest they have ever been before they turn 40 later this year.

This can only be a positive not just for the individuals inspired by the legends whose longevity is so impressive, but for society as a whole. After all, if everyone is fit at 40, then that bodes well for your future health too.