Defying expectations about age in football, the thirty-somethings of Copa America 2024 continue to be pillars in their national teams. James Rodríguez, Lionel Messi and Salomón Rondón are three examples of how footballing maturity has proven to be as vital as youthful talent.
On the eve of the quarter-finals, James (32 years old), Messi (37) and Rondón (34) showed in the group stage that accumulated experience, in addition to innate talent and physical reserve, can be as valuable as youth in modern football.
These three thirty-somethings are an example at the 2024 Copa América in the United States because they continue to exceed the expectations placed on them, inspiring teammates and rivals, and also redefining what it means to be a leader on the field and in the locker room.
James and his message to São Paulo
In his role as leader, captain and brains behind the Colombian national team, James Rodríguez (who will turn 33 on July 12) has once again shown why he is considered the most talented Colombian midfielder of his generation.
“I’ve known James since he was a kid, I always knew that his usefulness and what depended on his performance in the national team was his commitment. Now he runs less and thinks more, that also helps him. He has a team that surrounds him well and gives him alternatives to his game,” analyzed Colombia’s coach, Argentine Néstor Lorenzo.
The CONMEBOL Copa América™ Quarterfinals are coming up ✨ pic.twitter.com/nTf5m7Yh9b
— CONMEBOL Copa America™️ (@CopaAmerica) July 3, 2024
Top scorer at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, James finds his ‘natural habitat’ in the Colombian national team, unlike the reality he lives in São Paulo, where he has had few minutes so far this season.
“He is a great international player and that is why he went to São Paulo. He is still a São Paulo player. After the Copa América we will have to talk,” said the club’s president, Julio Cáceres, after James’ performance against Brazil on Tuesday in Santa Clara (California), in the closing match of Group D. The number 10 will face Panama on Saturday in the Glendale desert (Arizona), for a place in the semifinals of the tournament.
Messi’s magic intact
It is no surprise that Lionel Messi, at 37 years of age, continues to be the biggest concern for Argentina’s opponents. Absent against Peru in the final of Group A due to an injury to the adductor muscle in his right thigh, the captain of the ‘Albiceleste’ should return to Lionel Scaloni’s team for the quarter-final clash against Ecuador, this Thursday, in Houston (Texas).
His performance in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he led the ‘Albiceleste’ to win their third world title, and his quick adaptation to the MLS to lead Inter Miami, are proof that Messi is one of the most decisive players on the world stage, despite his advanced age.
Messi gave small samples against Canada and Chile of his incalculable magic, which remains intact, as does his leadership ability, because if there is something his teammates respect, it is his captaincy and permanent ambition.
“He inspires us, he is our captain and if he runs and fights for every ball, how can we not run and fight for him with 200 and 300% of our strength?”, says Rodrigo De Paul, one of the ‘lungs’ that help Messi.
The bravery of Rondón
Salomón Rondón, 34 years old, is the ‘Vinotinto”s attacking reference in the Copa América, as he has been since he made his debut in the main team, in February 2008, at just 17 years old.
“Every time he’s been with us he’s given 120%. Salomón is a professional of the highest level. I’m not surprised by his level or what he gives to the team,” says the Venezuelan national team coach, Argentine Fernando Batista.
The top scorer in the history of the ‘Vinotinto’ with 43 goals, ‘El Gladiador’ Rondón arrived at the 2024 Copa América after a magnificent semester at the Mexican Pachuca, where he arrived after an irregular 2023 at the Argentine River Plate.
Rondón scored two goals in the 2024 Copa América in the United States and wants to make Canada his next victim in the quarter-finals on Friday in Arlington (Texas).
𝟗/𝟗 🇻🇪 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀
Three group stage matches, three wins. ✅✅✅
All points. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒔. 🫂#AlwaysWine #VibraElContinente pic.twitter.com/iE3UsF3y2C
— La Vinotinto (@SeleVinotinto) July 1, 2024
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
